Champagne bar Players' Lounge at Luxe Company, Coney Street

That was the question on our lips as we arrived at The Luxe Company in Coney Street on a Friday night at 6pm.

We were greeted with a glass of champagne - nicely chilled, perfectly dry and crisp, with just the right amount of fizz.

We had been invited to one of the first events at The Luxe Company's new Players' Lounge - an upstairs, wood-panelled dining room, where a range of food and drink is now being served.

The lounge is the latest venture for The Luxe Company owners, Lisa and Brian Marshall, who opened the York business last year.

The Luxe Company is a bit of a unique destination in the city. Downstairs is a lovely cafe selling hot drinks and pastries, but mainly it is a retail shop selling a range of tasteful homewares and lounge wear. Upstairs there is a luxury swimwear shop - and across the grand hall of the four-storey building is the new Players' Lounge.

For the ticket price of £25, guests could enjoy a glass of champagne, a plate of tapas-style pintxos (bread with savoury toppings and pronounced pinchos), as well as a generous platter of charcuterie (with vegetarian option) to share. As a bonus, the retail shop stayed open after hours with 20 per cent off all items for the evening.

Pintxos served at The Players' Lounge

The Champagne and Charcuterie event is just one of many being planned for The Players' Lounge.

The first Cocktail Club takes place on Thursday (October 19), offering three cocktails and a pintxo sampler for £30. On November 2, there will be a pre-Christmas evening featuring mulled wine and festive sharing boards for £25, while jazz evenings are planned on November 9 and December 7. All events are ticket-only and include 20 per cent off items from the shop, bought that evening. More food and drink from the Luxe menu will also be available at each event, should guests wish for a more substantial meal and extra drinks.

Also new is the Luxe Sunday Brunch (£36), each week from 11.30am featuring cocktails, pintxos and sharing boards, with tiffin and coffee to finish. The full food and drink menu will also be available.

Opening the Players' Lounge is an ambitious move for Lisa and Brian who already run a successful Luxe store in Harrogate as well as a bustling online business.

But they have pulled it off with style. At their invitation, I attended the Champagne and Charcuterie evening with a girlfriend. As we sipped our champagne, we enjoyed browsing the store, quickly filling up a wish list of beautiful items for our home. I had just redecorated my lounge and found the perfect woollen throw for my sofa - and was delighted with my 20 per cent discount.

Upstairs, we enjoyed a steady stream of delicious snacks. Pintxos are a favourite of mine and evoke memories of bar crawls around Barcelona and Madrid where the little slices of bread topped with everything from cheese and anchovy to cured meats and grilled vegetables are washed down with a glass or two of wine.

The Luxe Company in Coney Street

This evening, my trio of pintxos packed a punch with a mix of Parma ham, sundried tomatoes and garlic aioli; smashed avocado, salami, olives and capers, and tomato, goats cheese and onion relish. My friend was equally happy with her veggie options.

Our sharing platter was a 'half and half' - part meat/part veggie - to cater for our dietary requests. It was a feast for the eyes, beautifully presented, and laden with the jewels of Mediterranean snacking: deli meats, giant green olives, fresh figs, stuffed mini peppers and a huge ball of soft burrata and a pot of hummus. We had lovely crackers and bread to eat it all with.

Afterwards, we shared a gorgeously decadent slice of chocolate torte and vanilla ice cream.

We both agreed that The Players' Lounge was a lovely addition to York - and wished Brian and Lisa all the best as we made our exit through their (self-gifting!) shop.

To find out more about events at The Luxe Company in York visit: www.theluxecompany.co.uk/events-i64