The town fast becoming ‘coffee capital of Somerset’

A North Somerset town is fast becoming the ‘coffee capital’ of Somerset traders say – with news another cafe is to open in a redundant fashion store. Nailsea currently has 16 places to enjoy a latte or cappuccino in the town centre, all within a short walking distance of each other.

Coffee 1# is now preparing to open in the former New Look store in Somerset Square – just a few doors down from Costa Coffee, Cafe 119, Waitrose and Coates House. Locals say the town is turning into one full of coffee shops with cafe owners saying Nailsea is becoming the ‘coffee capital of Somerset.’

Dean Sandy, who has run Cafe 119 on the High Street since 2016 says the opening of yet another coffee shop will just disperse trade further. Dean said: “Nailsea is fast becoming the coffee capital of Somerset.

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“I have run this business for six years and my mum did before me. Having yet another large cafe open just a few doors down is likely to affect my trade – it’s a coffee shop too far.

“Within a few seconds walk of my business there will be four coffee shops and cafes. It is going mean existing businesses lose custom.”

Praxis, which owns Somerset Square and Colliers Walk is currently drawing up plans to revitalise the town centre – at a time when there is currently around a dozen empty units in Somerset Square and Colliers Walk. These include the former Burchills Greengrocers at Colliers Walk which moved out earlier this year, and the National Westminster Bank unit.

HSBC also closed last year – leaving three empty vacant units – along with a number of other businesses. Concerns have been raised in the local community about the number of vacant units in the town centre.

Mr Sandy said more thought needed to be given to the mix of traders opening in Nailsea. “The town centre owners need to give more thought to the type of business coming to Nailsea rather than letting units to whoever will pay the rent,” he said.

“We need a better mix of businesses and more independent traders. Not just coffee shops.”

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Other businesses are concerned about the rising number of coffee shops in the town. Gemma Foan, who runs Bristol and Wales Cat Rescue Charity Shop in the High Street said: “There is a not enough trade I wouldn’t have thought to sustain so many coffee shops and cafes in one town centre.

“We need to give people a reason to come to Nailsea, apart from having a coffee. We’ve lost some big retailers over the years such as Peacocks and New Look.

” I’d like to see a better blend of retailers – including more clothes and shoe shops – open in the town. Without the right mix of retail, we will continue to lose business to the big out-of-town shopping complexes like Cribbs Causeway.”

Resident Tammy White said she often pops into Nailsea for a coffee with friends. But she too was concerned about the increasing number of cafes.

She said: “There is only so much coffee and tea people can drink. And with the cost of living, people won’t be able to afford to go out every day for coffee.

“The town needs to attract more independent shops and big name retailers to ensure it stays vibrant.” James Murray who owns Coates House in the High Street says its cafe bar in Thornbury sits close to a Coffee 1#. “I suppose the extra competition will keep us all on our toes,” said Mr Murray.

“We have a Coffee 1# near our outlet in Thornbury and we work alongside each other fine. It’s not ideal that another coffee shop is opening opposite us, but here at Coates we have a much wider offering than coffee, with a great food and a full licence.

“That said, it would be good to see work done to bring more independent retailers to the town.” The plans by Praxis include transforming empty retail units into offices.

The scheme will see empty retail units on the ground floor of Somerset Square re-configured and made ‘fit for purpose’ in a bid to attract new businesses to the town. Empty office units on the first floor are to be turned into a mix of one and two-bedroom flats.

READ MORE: Greengrocer to leave Somerset town after 30 years

As well as Somerset Square and Colliers Walk, Praxis is working on plans to transform the site which was once home to a fuel station at Stockway South into a flats development. The site has laid vacant and fenced off for years after the fuel station was demolished.

Nailsea places serving coffee:

• Café 119

• Coates House

• Coffee Corner

• Coffee #1 (opening soon)

• Costa at Tesco supermarket

• Costa at Somerset Square

• Greggs bakery

• Ivy Kitchen

• Parsons bakery café

• Paradiso Italian restaurant

• Scotch Horn café

• Royal Oak pub

• The Glass Maker, Wetherspoons

• The Sawyers Arms

• Waitrose café

• sometimes The Coffee Caravan outside Post Office

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