A STALYBRIDGE store is toasting a year in business of serving customers with a wide array of alcohol.
But those behind Ol’s Bier and More admitted there were a few nerves before opening their doors.
The Market street outlet has rapidly established itself as a popular fixture on the street scene – one which should soon become part of a heritage walkway.
And Shaun Bishop, who runs it along with wife Ella, is delighted to reach the landmark.
He said: “The time has flown by and we’ve enjoyed it. It’s been really good.
“The whole experience has been very different than we expected. It’s the first time we’ve ever gone into business ourselves.
“So it’s been a learning curve but it’s been brilliant. Everyone’s received us really well and we’ve just enjoyed every day coming into work.
“There were lots of nerves before we opened as it was a case of going into the unknown. We had no idea what to expect.
“It was just a case of ‘Open the doors and see what happens.”
As it happened, Stalybridge needed a shop like Ol’s, which stocks beer from breweries around the north-west and Europe, wines, gins and other spirits.
Now Shaun and Ella are looking at what happens next.
Shaun added: “We picked our time to open, we don’t make it easy for ourselves!
“But if we can survive during a pandemic, hopefully we can survive during anything. It’s been a rollercoaster but a good one.
“And we’re hoping to expand and look at some collaborations with other businesses in Stalybridge. Fingers crossed we can out on a gin festival at Stalybridge Celtic over the summer.
“Also, we may open the shop up a bit more and put on tasting nights to get people in enjoying it.”
Ol’s is situated in the heart of an area targeted for a heritage zone and the town centre challenge, along with vents like Street Feast.
And since the doors were opens, Shaun has seen an upsurge in interest in Stalybridge as he said: “A lot of the interest is brilliant. There seems to be a bit of investment coming in and with that you see new businesses popping up, which is great to see.”