Harrogate wine bar reopens after substantial expansion

After a substantial six-figure refurbishment, part-funded by Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, a wine bar and restaurant located in the centre of Harrogate has reopened.

William & Victoria Wine Bar on Cold Bath Road underwent extensive work to upgrade the kitchens, bathrooms and downstairs wine bar, as well as a complete revamp of the dining room upstairs, with a new staircase.

Husband and wife, David and Johanna Straker, who co-own the refurbished venue, oversaw the renovation work that lasted around six weeks.

The brand new dining room now has a capacity of 50 covers, as well as the 35 covers in the wine bar downstairs, and the Strakers are hoping to increase the business’ £1.3 million turnover by around 15-20% over the next 12 months.

The business will also be looking to expand its workforce of 30 staff in the next several months,

Johanna Straker said: “The refurbishment of the premises has been a huge undertaking, but was well worth the effort and was necessary to enable us to accommodate the increasing demand from our customers.

“Due to the growing popularity of the wine bar downstairs, we’ve continued the same theme upstairs into the restaurant, including a large mural of the Laurent Perrier wine caves inspired by a recent trip to Champagne, and we will be offering new lunch and corporate packages in the private dining area.”

After previously receiving financial support from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking to purchase the venues’ current premises, the Straker’s seeked out assistance from the bank once again to fund these renovations. The bank also helped the wine bar secure a five-figure Regional Growth Fund grant with assistance from Tenant Land & Partners Association.

David Straker said: “What our customers comment on the most is our expertise in wines and our ability to offer completely bespoke services for parties and events, which we’re looking to expand this year, and we were impressed that our relationship manager at Lloyds Bank was able to offer a similar level of service to us to support our growth plans.”

Lee Rycraft, relationship director for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “David and Jo Straker have done a superb job of creating a high profile establishment that is popular with locals and tourists alike. Their hard work and commitment have helped to make the business such a success.

“We work closely with all our commercial customers to ensure that we’re able to support their growth ambitions by providing support and guidance tailored to their individual needs. We also continue to approve eight out of 10 applications for loans and overdrafts.”