Angie Boyd Shearer never really dreamt of running a cafe.
The thought of grinding coffee beans behind the counter hadn’t even crossed her mind until she walked past the town’s old Castle Cafe one chilly morning about a year ago.
And suddenly, an idea began brewing in her head.
The Castle Street institution had been a firm favourite among locals for years, with its pancakes and milkshakes still imprinted on many a memory.
However, the venue shut in 2019 and it has been deteriorating since.
While some might have seen this as a grotty-looking building, Angie and her wife Lindsay saw it as an opportunity to bring something “new and exciting” to Huntly.
“We are a little bit crazy for taking this on perhaps,” Angie chuckles as we trudge around the piles of debris strewn across the cafe’s floor.
“Neither of us have any experience in running a coffee shop. But we have a vision, ambition and a purpose and this is what will help us make Castle Street Coffee happen.”
With the Castle Street Coffee project now in full swing, I meet Angie, Lindsay and their fundraising consultant, Catriona Skene, who reveal:
- What sparked the idea – and how the venue will be a lot more than just a coffee shop
- What the trio has planned for the cafe, including a youth shed with a “portable escape room”
- If the famous Castle Cafe pancakes and milkshakes will make a return
- And how people can help raise the thousands needed to get the cafe up and running
How it came about?
The town centre cafe is bustling with life when I walk in on a Thursday afternoon, with workers carefully shifting hefty wooden beams across what is now a construction site.
After a brief exchange with one of the contractors (who brings up the famous pancakes), I meet Angie, Lindsay and their fundraising consultant Catriona Skene at the back.
They are standing outside a small extension to the building that appears to now act as storage for all sorts of construction materials, tools and a pair of concrete mixers.
This will be a youth shed, Angie tells me, and is at the centre of what they want to achieve with their new venture – which will be much more than a coffee shop.
We step in and Angie begins to tell me how their ambitious project came about.
Born and bred in Huntly, the PE teacher of more than 17 years has always had a passion for helping young people build up their confidence.
She set up her own company Full Colour Coaching in 2019, offering group and one-to-one sessions to primary and secondary pupils fighting anxiety, stress and depression.
And having seen the challenges they face, the 40-year-old wanted to give them a “safe space” where they could seek help without any pressure or big waiting lists.
So when she saw the former Castle Cafe up for sale, she thought this was the perfect place for her to set up her social enterprise.
Unlike most venues of this nature, all the extra money she makes from selling coffee (after covering her own costs) will be poured right back into the community.
She says: “It’s something young people have expressed to me before during coaching sessions – that there isn’t anywhere for them to go here.
“And they are not really looking for much – all they want is somewhere to chat with their pals, or play cards or Dungeons and Dragons, or just have a hot chocolate.
“So the cafe idea grew out of that need for a safe space for young people – although, of course, it would be a great place for all to visit.”
What can you expect from the new Castle Street Coffee shop?
For the last few months, Angie and Lindsay have been travelling all across Scotland to explore the best flat whites, mochas and cappuccinos the nation has to offer.
In the north-east, their adventures have taken them all the way from Speyside Coffee in Garmouth to Dreamy Goat in Inverurie.
An experience that hasn’t been all that “awful”, Lindsay jokes, as the caffeine addict has been instrumental in persuading Angie to take on the coffee shop.
However, there is a gap in the market when it comes to Huntly.
Now the couple hopes Castle Street Coffee will become a community hub for people of all ages, while of course giving young people something to do.
There will be tables for 30 people inside and a takeaway hatch at the back with some additional outside seating.
Meanwhile, the youth shed will be in the hut next door.
Angie adds: “We think the takeaway hatch at the back will be a good addition for school kids, who would be able to come and grab lunches and hot chocolates to go.
“And when the youth shed next door is open, there will be pool tables, some soft seating and other entertainments depending on what they would like to have there.
“It will be a staged process – introduce one thing and then move on to the bigger thing – and it will all be informed by what the community needs.
“It will give Huntly more options. You see a lot of places shutting down, so it’s nice to try and get something back open again.”
‘Castle Street Coffee will be a lot more than just a cafe’
While most of it will be all fun and games, the cafe will also offer young people a chance of employment.
The local school offers a barista course, and pupils will be able to undertake their placements in the cafe.
Youngsters will get to be involved from the start, with one group helping them design the cafe while another will work on creating a “portable escape room” for the youth shed.
“Although on the face of it we are a coffee shop, there will be a lot of work going on in the background to support young people,” Angie smiles.
“We really want to be a hub for young people, and to help as many as possible.
“Teenagers are really struggling to find work placements – there are a few places, but as a whole it’s quite limited… Especially here.
“So the plan is to offer them some additional qualifications and certificates, and try to bring in local businesses and different mentors to work with them here.”
Pancake competitions, donations and more to help fund £80,000 project
With so many north-east businesses folding under the pressure of the rising bills, Angie is under no illusion their quest would be easy.
They will need just under £80,000 to get Castle Street Coffee up and running, and some extra cash to hire staff and cover their expenses for the first year at least.
This will be huge operation of applying for various grants and taking on a few loans, while hoping to get about £10,000 from community fundraising.
It will be a challenging task, Angie and Lindsay say.
And this is where Catriona comes in.
The 38-year-old has been working in community fundraising for more than eight years, and was the driving force behind filling the coffers for the renovation of Braemar Castle.
Safe to say, Catriona is no stranger to getting ambitious projects over the line and she already has loads of ideas about how to raise the needed cash in a more…exciting way.
One of them would be a pancake competition, inspired by the overwhelming interest in whether the tasty treats will make a return when Castle Street Coffee opens.
People will be able to take part with their own recipes – and whoever wins will be able to see their creation feature in the venue’s upcoming menu.
“Angie definitely knows how to bring me a challenge,” Catriona laughs.
“I’m out of my comfort zone with some of it, but there was never any doubt that I would want to take part and help with this – and we have many really cool ideas.
“It’s not going to be a faceless community fundraising – we want to bring people in and get them involved.”
What do you think of the Castle Street Coffee plans? Let us know in our comments section below
So when will people be able to taste those famous pancakes again?
All goes well, Angie and Lindsay hope to have the cafe opened by December.
The youth shed will be the first to welcome youngsters, with the takeaway hatch and the main cafe to follow.
And if you ask the locals, Castle Street Coffee couldn’t come any sooner.
As I say my goodbyes with Angie, Lindsay and Catriona, a teenager stops me outside the venue – one of three to ask me about the cafe within just three hours.
“It’s going to be really good when it opens, won’t it?” he smiles at me.
“Huntly needs a place like this…we need a place like this!”
I’m happy to tell him his wish will very soon come true.
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