A familiar sight at events across Tameside has found a permanent home after The Secret Garden opened its first town centre premises in Stalybridge.
The business, known for operating a converted horse box bar at festivals and events, has expanded into a café-bar on Melbourne Street, in the site of the former ‘Coffee House’ which has since relocated.
Owner Sarah-Jane Parsons has spent the past few months transforming the former café after taking possession of the premises in May.
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The new venue is designed to offer something throughout the day and into the evening, with hot and cold drinks, including tea and coffee, alongside soft drinks, beers, ciders and spirits.
A selection of sandwiches and cakes is also currently available, with plans to expand the food offering as the business settles into its new surroundings.
The move marks a new chapter for The Secret Garden, which began life as a mobile bar in 2022.
Sarah-Jane and her husband came up with the idea after experiencing lengthy queues for drinks at a festival and deciding they could create something of their own. They subsequently converted a horse box into a mobile bar and began taking it to events.
In Stalybridge, it has become particularly familiar to visitors to the town’s monthly Street Fest, where it has traded for the past two years – just a short distance from its new permanent home.
The original mobile operation is not disappearing, however, with bookings already in the diary through to 2027.
The decision to take on a permanent venue came after the Melbourne Street premises became available at a significant time for the family.
Sarah-Jane’s husband had suffered a health scare initially feared to be a heart attack but later diagnosed as acute pancreatitis. Following his recovery, the experience helped prompt the couple to take the opportunity to expand the business.
The Secret Garden plans to open seven days a week, with daily opening times being publicised through its social media pages.