CAFE bosses are due to open a new venture in Barrow town centre.

Lisa Clark and Ismail Kaya, formerly of the Coffee Bean in Dalton Road, are relocating to a larger store.

The pair hopes their new cafe in a bigger town centre unit will open its doors to customers for the first time in around six weeks.

They say they hope to draw more customers to a large space in an upgrade on the Coffee Bean cafe, opposite the Townhouse.

The new cafe will be called Smiler’s, in reference to the nickname of co-owner Mr Kaya.

The pair are yet to reveal the exact location of their new cafe but it is expected to take the place of an empty store at the bottom of Dalton Road.

The running of the Coffee Bean, a long-time fixture of Barrow’s high street, has been taken over by new managers.

Miss Clark said: “We’re really excited to be opening up somewhere new.

“We hope loyal customers will follow us to the new place.

“It’s better than our old cafe in a few ways. There are more tables. A problem we had at the Coffee Bean was that people came in and to wait for a table.

“The kitchen at the Coffee Bean was downstairs and the new place will mean that is no longer a problem.”

Miss Clark said a number of the Coffee Bean staff remained at the establishment they used to run but they are bringing ‘one or two’ staff to join them at their new cafe.

She added: “We are hoping to achieve a nice friendly rustic feel which is family friendly and has an inviting atmosphere.”

The menu at the new cafe is expected to be similar to the Coffee Bean.

Ahead of its opening, Miss Clark praised a recent announcement by the Government to pump millions of pounds into Barrow high street as part of countrywide initiative.

She said: “We’re really excited to see how the new funding will help local businesses and the area to build and thrive.”

Donna Jefferson has taken over the running of the Coffee Bean.

She said she had ‘always wanted to run a cafe’.

Miss Jefferson also runs Hairworks in Dalton Road.

She spoke about the possibility of offering themed nights on a weekend in the future.