Stollies Café and Delicatessen in Wallasey has been forced to temporarily close after a car crashed into the front of the building early on Tuesday, August 25. The incident occurred at around 4.35am, causing damage to the premises.
Arrest and police response
A Merseyside Police spokesperson said: "A woman was arrested following a collision in Wallasey Village this morning, Tuesday August 25. Just before 4.35am we received a report that an Audi A3 had collided with the front of Stollies café."
"No one was injured. A 31-year-old woman from Hoylake was arrested on suspicion of drink driving."
Co-owner's account
Co-owner Nick Bowerman, 45, told the ECHO: "I got a phone call from a taxi driver, who is also one of our friends, at around 4.40am to say that our windows had been smashed in. When I got down here, the police were here and Wirral Borough Council had sent someone to help clean things up so a lot of it had been cleared."
Nick said he called his business partner, Jake Bailey, 38, when he arrived and the two of them remained at the café all morning. He said: "We've been down here since around 5.30am trying to clear everything up and speaking to our insurance company so we can try and get it sorted as soon as possible. It would be an absolute killer for us if we had to close for longer than four days so hopefully we can try and get everything sorted out."
Community support and recent challenges
Despite the stress of the incident, Nick said seeing the support from their regular customers has been a source of positivity. He said: "I'm feeling pragmatic about it because there's nothing we can do and it's totally out of our control. We've had loads of regulars who have come down and asked if they can help or if there's anything they can do. It's very typical Wallasey Village behaviour of everyone chipping in and helping each other out. It's been quite nice this morning having seen so many regulars and getting so many nice comments from people on social media."
The incident happened only a month after Nick and Jake closed their second Stollies site. After what Nick described as "a really difficult three years", StolliesB in Liscard closed on Thursday, July 6. He told the ECHO: "We found it difficult to establish ourselves in Liscard. We employed some really nice people and we had loads of regulars who have now joined us in Wallasey Village. We had a nice family feeling down there but by the end it was very difficult to make it work and we tried everything. The cost of doing business is very high at the minute and there are rising costs across all areas. Right at the end, it wasn't a difficult decision to make because there was no way we could have carried on doing business which was a horrible feeling."
On a brighter note, Stollies Café and Delicatessen will be marking its 10-year anniversary in December. Nick and Jake have been planning a party for the last couple of months. Nick said: "We want to try and get as many as our suppliers and regulars down to the café when we hit 10 years. It's a tough time for everyone and we appreciate customers are feeling the pinch as well so the fact they're still staying loyal and supporting us is massive."
