A new cafe bar is set to open in a prime site on Newcastle’s Grey Street which was home to the city’s last independent jewellers.
Family run Davidson’s decided to shut its doors for good three years ago when its lease came up, bringing to an end 120 years of trading with North East customers.
Now the building at 94 to 96 Grey Street is set for a new lease of life as the Grey Owl cafe, led by leisure firm Viehard Limited.
Viehard Limited, which is run by Uno’s owner Stevie Pattinson, hasalready scored success close by with bar restaurant Hibou Blanc - French for white owl - in the city’s Bigg Market.
Now Mr Pattinson says he can’t wait to launch The Grey Owl, hopefully in August, creating around 10 jobs.
He said: “It’s with huge pride we can announce the arrival of Hibou Blanc’s first offspring, the Grey Owl situated on Grey street, sitting on the side which was designed by John Dobson and built between 1835 and 1837.
“We are so lucky to be the custodians of this remarkable building which had been a family jewellers for over 100 years and is situated right in the heart of Newcastle’s most beautiful street.
“The Hibou family ethos is built on three things, luxury, quality and excellence and this runs through everything we do from the building to the decor and of course the food and drinks.
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“We will be open from 8am for breakfast and carry on through lunch with the emphasis on light and healthy food seasonal local where ever possible. Afternoon tea will be served, then in the evening sharing boards and tapas served alongside great cocktails and wines.
“The Grey Owl will be fully licenced all day should you wish for something stronger than our top-quality teas, coffees and juices.
“In the evening we would like to use this space for people to come together and maybe enjoy such things as poetry nights, book clubs, maybe a music night, turning the space into somewhere that likeminded people can come and be together and enjoy a fun night out.”
The plans will bring business back to the prime corner plot, adding to a growing number of bars and restaurants in the Grey Street area which are now welcoming back customers.
Davidsons, on Grey Street, closed in January 2018 and had been based in the city since 1898, but the family business shut after facing struggling retail conditions.
It had started in the 19th Century, when Robert Davidson opened a small workshop at 66 Grey Street, where he repaired jewellery and silverware. The business was later handed down to his nephew Stanley in 1939, who later moved the business to the larger premises in Grey Street.