A pair of Aberdeenshire sisters are preparing to serve up tea for two in Deeside after rallying from Storm Frank.
Hollie and Emma Petrie from Glen Tanar are set to open their new cafe next month in the station square in Aboyne.
The outlet has been named after their favourite childhood book, ‘A Spider bought a Bicycle’ and joins a host of other shops in the community, which was affected by the floods which devastated the region at the end of 2015.
Younger sister, Emma, said: “We’ve always been keen to work together and start our own business doing something we love.
“I think, after Storm Frank, it is definitely great to be bringing life back into the square and seeing other shops open up. It’s nice to fill up the spaces again and give people an even better reason to come and visit.
“The whole community has been supportive and, despite all that has happened at the start of the year, everyone has really bounced back.”
The duo are now asking the community to help their efforts to get the shop up and running in November.
Hollie, who was formerly a manager at Aberdeen’s Foodstory, added: “We wanted to create a space, which would complement what already exists, but also offer something new and bring a real cafe culture to the area.
“We will be offering good food and home baking combined with excellent coffee and free Wifi. Everything is sourced locally, where possible, to support other small businesses, with a focus on creating simple food from fresh ingredients.
“We secured finance for the majority of the business a while ago, but in order to make the highest standard of coffee, we do not want to compromise on the quality of coffee machine we are purchasing.
“So we are offering our local community a chance to get involved and become an integral part of the cafe, which we want to make a hub for people to meet.
“In return, we offer perks and rewards and even the chance to host a party in the café. We have already raised over a third of our £2500 goal.”
Work is well underway to convert the former station building which ceased to be a terminus when the Deeside railway line was extended to Ballater in 1866 before the railway closed 100 years later.
Spider on a Bicycle will be open Tuesday to Sunday offering breakfast, coffee, lunches and homebakes.
Anyone wishing to support the venture can do so by visiting: to www.indiegogo.com and searching for Spider on a Bicycle.
The fi date for the crowdfunding campaign is the October 19.
