Popular cafe will soon become a classroom
Wynd Cafe set to relocate and college moves in
A long- running cafe is relocating to make way for a college outpost.
Paisley’s Wynd Cafe has been closed since April and will now move inside to the Wynd Centre so that the Highland Theological College can hold classes in the former eaterie, which has been in the town since 1984.
The move comes due to a downturn in footfall at the volunteer- run cafe, which is part of the Oakshaw Trinity Church- run centre, which offers counselling and other services.
Wynd Centre manager Ian Young said: “The cafe wasn’t as popular as we would like – that’s because there are too many coffee shops in Paisley.
“We were finding the cafe was getting too big for the demand that we had. It was a concern.
“Whereas before, when the Wynd Centre opened up, it was a revenue to support many other things.
“But things have changed. I keep saying to people that when the coffee shop opened at first, you had Woolworths across the road.
“You could walk off the High Street, and take the escalator up and just cross the road.
“So there was no hill for anybody to climb. It was in an ideal spot.
“And, of course, cafes in those days weren’t 10 a penny, whereas today they are. And we can’t all survive. Things change.
“Our coffee shop was manned by volunteers – we are so indebted to them, hence we got the Queen’s Award last year because of their involvement, not just in the coffee shop but involvement throughout the counselling service and many other organisations here.
“It’s the volunteers that really make this tick.
“But the sell- by date was coming.
“We were struggling, so this has all come at the one time for us. We had to sit down and think of what was the right way forward here.”
Graeme McGowan, Wynd Centre chairman, said the cafe would now be at a more manageable level.
“We don’t need quite as many volunteers and we are hoping we get the boost in the footfall with the students being in the building as well,” he said.
“What we found was many of our volunteers now were there in 1984 when the coffee shop opened, and they were getting to a certain age and it was just not becoming manageable.
“They were struggling. They didn’t want to be giving up but people were leaving and our numbers were suffering for volunteers.
“Whereas, we maybe needed five or six people per day as volunteers, now we only need two, three or four.
“We’ve not had to turn anybody away certainly – getting volunteers has always been part of the problem.”
The relocation of the cafe is a positive move, Mr McGowan added.
“We see it as a very exciting opportunity,” he said.
Dingwall- based Highland Theological College has a number of distance learners in the west of Scotland, who were previously located at a base in Glasgow.
That arrangement came to an end and it presented a opportunity for the Wynd Centre to offer it accommodation on a commercial basis that would bring in revenue.
“The college came and took a look and were delighted with what we could offer them here,” Mr McGowan said.
“It is an ideal location, and close to the train station.
“They are changing the cafe area into three classrooms and office accommodation.
“And we’ve got other facilities that are available – halls, an auditorium for presentations... so there are facilities here for all that to be offered.
“The general location suited them perfectly.”
Mr McGowan said the Wynd Centre’s primary function is counselling.
“Everything else that we are doing is to fund the counselling service, which is offered either at low cost or free of charge,” he said.
He added: “The intention is that HTC will be taking a five-year lease of the downstairs premises.
“Obviously they will be paying rent on a commercial basis and that is then used to fund our outreach.”