SUMMER has arrived at a York store which is opening a pavement cafe, garden shop and swimwear salon.
The Luxe Company opened last autumn in the former Wallis fashion store in Coney Street - in part of a site which has lain empty for more than five years.
The lifestyle store, which already has a branch in Harrogate, sells a range of homewares, stylish sleepwear, underwear and aims to create a mini department store in the heart of York.
For summer, owners Lisa and Brian Marshall, have opened a ground-floor cafe and will be serving drinks and cakes outside in their new pavement area from next week.
A garden room selling outdoor furniture, fire pits and fake plants will be arriving soon too.
A one-stop holiday salon has launched on the second floor of the four-storey building, stocking swimwear and accessories.
Lisa said: "It's a one-stop shop for summer. We have swimsuits, bikinis, hats, jewellery, sarongs, and cover-ups - and we have bags coming too."
Swimwear brands stocked include Lise Charmel, Aubade, Livia Monte-Carlo and Ralph Lauren.
Plans are afoot to open a first-floor champagne bar, probably from July, added Lisa.
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The cafe is a new addition to the store and sits at the front of the shop. There will be four tables going outside following the granting of a pavement licence to the business.
On the cafe menu is a range of coffees and teas with a choice of milks including soya, coconut and almond. Hot chocolate with or without whipped cream and marshmallows, and a selection of tray bakes, cookies, pastries and muffins are also on offer. All are available to take away too.
Lisa said: "We have been open since October and we wanted it to be a lifestyle store which offers more than just retail.
"It is nice for customers to be able to shop but also have a drink."
Lisa said the business was already a success in Harrogate and online.
She said the ethos of the company was to offer "luxury items at affordable prices" adding "everybody needs a little bit of luxury in life".
The couple said they wanted to open their new business in Coney Street as they believed in the vision for the area.
Last year, developers The Helmsley Group unveiled its ‘Coney Street Riverside’ scheme, which imagines creating 250,000ft2 of mixed-use retail, leisure, commercial and residential space, a riverside walkway and open space for the public, both on the waterfront and between the Ouse and Coney Street.
Of the plans, Lisa said they would "bring life back to Coney Street."
"We think Coney Street is only going to get better. The plans are amazing and we want to be in at the early stage."
Lisa firmly believes people still want to buy from bricks and mortar shops and enjoy the experience of shopping.
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