The historic Hawnby Stores and Tea Room near Helmsley, founded in 1762, is now open again after a comprehensive refurbishment.
Oli Nicholls and Sally Pearson, who lease the building from the Hawnby Estate but own the business, have transformed the quaint building into a thriving village shop, café and community hub.
The village shop was a former sub post office and has operated continually since the 18th century.
Oli and Sally, who have moved to Hawnby from the French Alps where they worked in the tourism sector, are thrilled to have started the business they have always dreamed of.
Oli explained: “Whilst we loved our time together in France, the pull of Yorkshire was too much. Sally’s family come from Leeds and I have strong connections with the county, so when we saw the opportunity to run a beautiful little village shop and open our very own cafe deep in the North York Moors, we grabbed it with both hands. It’s impossible not to fall in love with Hawnby.
“The joy of this project is that we have a completely blank canvas. This has enabled us to create a welcoming community space, based on our principles of sustainability and inclusivity, sourcing local produce and ensuring that we stock everything that both villagers and visitors to Hawnby need.”
Sally continued: “We want to be so much more than a village shop. We are very passionate about our lovely, refurbished café, while we have also created an informal space for coffee and light snacks and are planning to have community and musical events on the beautiful space in front of the shop leading down to the River Rye.
“Meanwhile we are making full use of our new herb garden behind the Stores and a fruit, flower and vegetable garden at the front which will be an integral part of the food we serve in our new-look café alongside locally sourced Yorkshire produce whenever possible.
“This is a dream come true for us. Since we took over the lease of the building at the end of last year, we have worked so hard, with the help of our families, to create a welcoming and sustainable business what both we, and Hawnby, can be proud. Now we are open, we can share this dream with everyone.”
Jamie Savile, from Hawnby Estate, commented: “We are absolutely delighted with the transformation of the Stores and Tea Room and extremely impressed with the work Oli and Sally, and their families, have done.
“Their enthusiasm and passion, combined with their knowledge and experience of the hospitality sector, make them a perfect fit for the Stores. We had a good deal of interest when we advertised the business, but Oli and Sally were the obvious candidates to take on this very special project.
“Their plans to make the Stores an integral part of the Hawnby community will be a massive boost for our village. Together with the Owl Inn, now thriving under new management and talented chef Sam Varley, the new-look and revitalised Stores will make Hawnby a go-to destination for villagers, walkers and tourists.”
He added: “Small independent village stores are absolutely vital to the rural economy. Many have closed down across the country, but we have been determined to keep our own very special village shop, which has such a loyal following, open.”
