Lucy Wieland, 27, from Widnes, opened her own coffee shop eight months ago and has already seen plenty of success. Brew & Bake began life operating out of a renovated horse box before Lucy moved her business into a unit on Birchfield Road in Widnes.
From Desk Job to Coffee Shop
Lucy told the ECHO: "I was working full time at a charity and the idea began because I like baking and I was sick of working a 9 to 5 job being sat down and behind a laptop. I really didn't enjoy it when we had to start working from home because of Covid. I would go eight hours without seeing or speaking to anyone and it was getting to me."
She started doing small orders during lockdown for cupcakes and similar items. She said: "I thought if I wanted to properly go for it then I would need to either go into making occasion cakes or pair coffee with my bakes. I didn't like the pressure of doing big cakes so I went down the bakes and coffee route and that's when I started looking into the horsebox."
From Horsebox to Shop Unit
Lucy started converting a horsebox in December 2024, and Brew & Bake operated from there for the first year. It wasn't until a shop unit became available in the same area with the same landlord who rented the space for her horsebox that Lucy considered changing venues.
Lucy said: "It was probably quicker than I wanted to move into a shop because I wanted to do the horsebox for a little bit longer but it's all worked out alright. My thinking was that my customers wouldn't have to move because it's the same area and I've already built a customer base. I opened the shop in December 2025 so we've only been open for eight months but it's took off a lot. I left my full time job in December and I've never looked back since and it's just snowballed."
Building the Business Gradually
Lucy said quitting her job to focus on her business wasn't a decision she made overnight. She said: "I did it in stages. When I had the horsebox I'd work at the charity part time from Monday to Wednesday and then do my business Thursday to Saturday so I feel like I worked myself into it quite well. I had a taste of it and then it got to the point where it was too much to do part time. It was taking too much of my time because I used to work a full shift in the day and then come home and do all the baking."
Now she can bake in the shop during quieter periods and has three staff members. She said: "There's a lot to do, it's hard work and there's always money struggles and worries on your mind but I absolutely love it. I love going to work every day because it doesn't feel like work."
Bringing Something Different to Widnes
Lucy said it was also her passion for coffee shops that motivated her to open her own. She said: "One of my favourite things to do on my days off is going to get a pastry and a coffee and I felt like I was always travelling to Liverpool to do that. I wanted something more local and I wanted to bring something different to Widnes. I've always enjoyed doing that with my mates and I wanted to be able to provide that experience for other people."
People have now started to travel some distance just to visit her shop. She said: "We've had a few mums travelling from Liverpool and Crosby which has been really nice to see. We've also got The Butterholic on board now so we're selling the pastries that are sold in Lunko on Lark Lane. That's only happened in the last three weeks and it's been a massive hit."
Alongside pastries from The Butterholic, the Brew & Bake baked goods menu changes frequently. Lucy said: "One of our niches is that we change the bakes menu every three weeks or so. We range from selling things like brownies, blondies, school cake and loaded cookies and at the moment we're doing an M&S inspired menu. We picked that over the summer months while the kids are on holiday because it's like an M&S picky bits menu."
She added: "We have specials on the menu too which tend to be the most popular drinks. Currently we've got birthday cake, toffee popcorn, strawberries and cream and peach iced tea. We try to keep our drinks seasonal and keep them on the menu for as long as possible. People will come in after seeing a TikTok from months ago and ask for an item that isn't on the menu anymore so we try not to change the drinks too much."
Community Support and Giving Back
Brew & Bake has experienced social media success thanks to their attractive drinks and bakes and has also been well supported by the local community. Lucy said: "We want to give back so we've done a few different things so far. We had a fundraiser a couple of weeks ago for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, which we called a summer soirée and that was really fun. We're also trying to get a run club going and we've done a few of them so far."
