A historic Bold Street building is set to reopen this week under a new tenant. The premises at 14-16 Bold Street, most prominently occupied by Waterstones and more recently dessert store Haute Dolci, has been acquired by high street coffee company Black Sheep Coffee.
The new Black Sheep Coffee location is scheduled to open on Friday, October 16. The 3,336 sq ft shop will offer 96 seats, including 80 internally and 16 outdoor.
Preserving heritage features
The store will retain several of the building's notable features, including the exposed brickwork and internal columns, creating a contrast between the building's traditional design and Black Sheep Coffee's contemporary branding.
The Bold Street opening will be the second Black Sheep Coffee store for the franchisee group YOLOWAYS, following their first location with the brand at Paradise Place in Liverpool ONE.
Franchisees on the new site
The franchisees said: "We were really taken with this site from the moment we saw it. Bold Street is such an iconic part of Liverpool, and the building itself has so much character and beautiful heritage architecture."
"We loved the opportunity to bring Black Sheep Coffee into a space like this and create something that feels distinctive while still celebrating the original features of the building."
To mark the opening, customers visiting the new store on launch day will also have the chance to pick up Black Sheep Coffee branded tote bags and notebooks, available whilst stocks last.
Previous tenant's departure
The building's previous tenant, Haute Dolci, temporarily closed its doors in June, notifying customers via a notice left on the entrance doors. The notice said: "We are temporarily closed. A pause, not a goodbye. An incident within the building has required us to close while specialists complete a full inspection.
"We will reopen the moment we can be certain that everything is exactly as it ought to be. Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience."
However, the reopening never arrived, and a planning application revealed that Black Sheep Coffee would be taking over the premises. Waterstones had occupied the building since 1988, when it first operated under the name Dillons before being rebranded. Following Waterstones' closure in 2014, the building lay dormant for several years until Haute Dolci moved in.
