New owners for prime coffee bar
ALLISON Horswill will have mixed emotions when she hands over the keys this week to the coffee shop business she started from scratch almost three years ago.
Sideline Espresso in Rokeby will soon have new owners, with a change in Ms Horswill’s personal circumstances leading her to sell it.
Pete Ladyman and Luke Wilcock, co-owners of Audrey Coffee on Bayfield St, Rosny, will take over the South Arm Rd business.
Ms Horswill identified the site as a prime spot for such a cafe, and said stopping in soon became part of the routine for local coffee lovers.
“It has achieved everything that we wanted it to achieve,’’ she said.
“Our business model is built on the support of locals, and the only time we actually noticed a downturn was when everyone needed to stay home [because of coronavirus restrictions].”
Ms Horswill said the cafe closed for seven weeks as a result of COVID-19, but said selling the business was not linked to the pandemic.
And while selling Sideline Espresso was not part of her original plan, she was proud of the cafe’s success and pleased about the new ownership.
“I’m thrilled that I built a business that someone actually wanted to purchase,’’ she said. “And I’m pleased that it’s going to these guys who I hold in high regard.”
Mr Ladyman said he and Mr Wilcock were looking forward to sharing their passion for coffee with their new customers.
They opened Audrey Coffee in January last year.
“We’ve known [Allison] for some years, and we just thought it was a great opportunity to expand our brand a little bit and also capitalise on the great work she has done engaging the community there,” Mr Ladyman said.
Mr Ladyman said they were to officially take over the business on Friday, and that Sideline Espresso would reopen on Monday, July 20.