A THRIVING eatery in South Cumbria has opened its doors again after a successful relaunch inspired by a ‘miracle’.
Elodie’s Café and Wine Merchant, on Market Square in Kirkby Lonsdale, welcomed its first customers on October 4 after a whirlwind two-week transformation involving a refurbishment, a whole new look, and a change of name.
The team and ownership, however, remain in place from its previous incarnation of The Crossing Café.
Helen and Adrian Shield, who took over The Crossing Point in 2019, revealed the reasoning and vision for the apparently sudden change.
“We’ve loved running The Crossing Point, but it felt like the right time to really put our own stamp on it,” said Helen.
“We hadn’t told many people what we were up to in advance, and we went on holiday when the work started so I think a few locals in Kirkby were speculating.
“But we’re absolutely thrilled with how it’s turned out and we’ve had a great response from our customers, both new and regular ones.”
Elodie’s is named after the couple’s 16-month-old daughter, conceived after being shorn of all hope of starting a family.
“She’s our miracle baby,” said Helen.
“She was named after a little Champagne house, Elodie D, that we found while exploring the region in France.
“We loved it so much that we are now the UK’s exclusive importers and sell their range in our wine shop at the back of the café.”
Helen explained that the day-time café offering of coffees, teas, home-made cakes and brunch is still the core focus but more evening events, such as bistro nights, and even private-hire functions, are being planned alongside the popular monthly wine tastings.
“I wanted the look of the café to be more evening-friendly so the café does have a more modern, quirky look,” she said.
“We still have Millie serving customers, who’s been there longer than we have, and Elsie-May, our good friend’s daughter, who helps out during school holidays.
“We are as much a family affair as ever - there’s Adrian, myself, Dave (Brown), and Adrian’s talented brother Darren has now joined the team.
“We’re lucky that we have such a close-knit, settled team.
“Even Elodie can sometimes be spotted with a broom in her hands.
“Long-term, who knows, we might see another Elodie’s suddenly pop up somewhere nearby."
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