Memories of vibrant community cafe
HOCKLEY has changed a lot in the past few years with the addition of some of the city’s bestloved bars and restaurants.
This month has seen the opening of The Goat which has taken over one-half of the restaurant, Botti De Mamma.
But before it was an Italian restaurant and now bar, the building was home to Lee Rosy’s, a vibrant community cafe that was a haven for anyone looking for a decent cuppa away from the busy streets. The cafe was more than that providing a space for the creative and LGBT+ community. The long window table will also be remembered as one of the best peoplewatching perches in the city.
Although the cafe closed in 2018, it moved its signature tea blends online instead for those who needed a fix of their favourite. Former owner, Andrew Beales says that lockdown saw a boom in tea sales but it gave former staff and customers a chance to catch up amid the madness.
“There was a bit of a sales boost during lockdown so I revamped the website to build on things. A lot of staff members and former customers bought tea during that time so it was a nice way of catching up with people.”
The venue and shop opened in 2005 amid a boom time for independent cafes. Andrew said: “I had an idea for a cafe acting as a social and creative hub. I had been working as an economist in London but I wanted to do something more hands-on and tangible. It was around this time that a lot of chain coffee places were setting up but there was all this great quality tea that didn’t find it’s way into the average cafe,” he said.
He added: “It was a light-bulb moment when I decided to combine the two ideas to get a creatively orientated cafe and social hub.”
Lee Rosy’s quickly built up a following in the city centre as groups started to visit the cafe to meet up recognising it as a creative and safe space where they could spend time without being rushed to leave. The cafe was also a great source of information thanks to a noticeboard near its window where flyers for events, groups and meet-ups could be posted.
“We had a lot of groups over the years that would spend time there from film to book clubs, art exhibitions, even theatre or stand-up comedy. It really predated the big independent cafe boom towards the later 00s where people wanted to hang out somewhere that wasn’t a bar or a club.”
He added: “My favourite memories were the gigs that we put on where we met some incredible musicians and got to witness great performances. It was really lovely when the shop was bustling with a good atmosphere and lots of people just doing their own thing. We also had a few couples who met at Lee Rosy’s and are still together today.”
The closure of Lee Rosy’s became imminent after a huge increase in the number of cafes in the city amid huge rent increases.
“There were plenty of difficult moments running as a small business like that as it was a huge task. The summer was hard because the city would empty out as everyone would have other plans like the park, the beach or barbecue,” Andrew explained.
He added: “Sales had been slightly falling so margins were getting squeezed. It was getting harder to remain as there were more cafes around but it didn’t feel like many customers. I also wasn’t able to commit to it financially. I spent months looking for someone to pass it on to but with no success.”
Lee Rosy’s closure meant a loss to the creative community who had used the space for exhibitions and performances. While Hockley is starting to rebuild after a difficult two years of Covid restrictions, there is still a need for spaces that exist outside of the usual coffee shop model.
“We need places that are outside of the narrow chain cafe and restaurant business model as they aren’t really focused on community events. For example, Lee Rosy’s had an extra basement floor so we were able to give that space over to a broad range of uses,” Andrew explained.
“People would come in with ideas and we would try to accommodate some of the groups or events which may not always be money spinners but it would bring in people who became regular customers.
“It was all about having a longer-term perspective.”