A new cafe bar has opened in Alston, breathing life into a building which has been vacant for 15 years.
Walter’s Cafe & Bar, on Front Street, officially opened at the weekend and aims to bring something different to the town.
Owned by Kaye Wallis Chalk and her brother David, they bought the former off licence in April and spent the last six months transforming it.
She said it was a labour of love, but wanted to create something special.
Kaye and her family fell in love with Alston while on holiday here – they have spent three Christmases in the town and Kaye said she initially wanted to spend her retirement in Cumbria.
They moved to the town 18 months ago.
However, when they spotted the empty shop, they knew they wanted to give something back and after they bought it, the major revamp began.
Kaye said: ” We used local tradesmen for the work and one of them, Stuart English, has a background in catering.”
Kaye soon persuaded Stuart to down his tools and step back into the kitchen.
He is now head chef at Walter’s and Jess McCormack, who used to work at Lovelady Shield, is head of front of house.
They are joined by Lisa Robinson and Sharon Ollerton, who also used to work at Lovelady Shield.
Kaye said: “Walter’s aims to complement what is already on offer in Alston and also offer something a bit different. Everyone has been so supportive, it’s been wonderful.”
Walter is the nickname of Kaye and David’s dad and Kaye said it was a homage to him and his support. She said the entire family have been involved in Walter’s and thanked her mum and dad, husband Simon and David’s wife Casey for their support.
Kaye, who has a background in construction, said the first few days of trading had been non-stop. She added: “It’s a nice social space and customers seem to be loving it – we’ve had good reviews already.
Walter’s Cafe & Bar offers a range of beers and lagers, including those from Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone Brewery, plus local breweries.
She said: “We’ve tried to source everything as locally as possible and we haven’t got a set menu. Instead, Stuart is creating daily specials boards and we also offer small plates.
“We want to mix it up a bit. He has done a parsnip and white chocolate soup, which people loved.”
There are also plans underway to create an Airbnb on the first floor of the building.
