A familiar name has returned to Banks Road in West Kirby with the return of Slinky’s cafe bar.
The name disappeared when the bar was taken over by the Home Brew Tap in 2018.
Owner Simon Hughes has started with a soft launch, building up over the coming weeks.
He told West Kirby Today: “I always wanted to run a cafe/bar since early in my working career.
“I’m an aircraft design engineer and worked over in Seattle many years ago where I got to experience the cafe (and bar!) culture there. There is a picture in the corner of Pike Place market – it’s a very cool place and home to the original Starbucks.
“So the idea has been in my head as a kind of second career option since early on, and when I saw Slinky’s was for sale, I thought it was a perfect location and opportunity, it was all ready to go and the friendly vibe they had going on was wonderful.”
He agrees there is a lot of affection for the Slinky’s name: “We looked at a few options and but just couldn’t think of anything better! I think there’s a bit of nostalgia there which helps give you a leg up but then there is also a danger of people saying they prefer the “old Slinky’s”, which is fine as well of course because they have their memories.
“What I wanted to do is just try and create the same friendly vibe Jan, Gail and Annabelle created originally, and carry it on in updated surroundings.”
The much-loved mural created by Jim Fleming was removed when the unit became the Homebrew Tap in 2018, but Simon has commissioned something new by Matthew Timmins-Williams, and also included pictures from a local artist.
Work to reopen the building has been going on for several months. Simon said: “We have removed the supporting walls in the main bar area which formed the old kitchen area and this has given us an open space and bar on the left. The cold room is outside in a new building also, these are big changes for us as our beers will now be stored much cooler.
In terms of the type of the food and drink they will be serving, he said: “We are still working on this and feel we have a good selection of beers and wines at the moment. We are firstly opening without food but will develop that in the coming months. We are thinking along the lines of pastries, sandwiches and boards in the evening at the minute.
“It’s an open-all-day place, teas, coffees, pastries, some food, then beers and wines in the evening. We are trying to keep prices down as much as possible of course as well, but things are expensive so we will have to keep an eye on things there.”
Simon said he hopes there will be something for everyone: “West Kirby has some great places these days compared to when Slinky’s first opened. but things have changed as well.
“West Kirby is busier and people’s habits are different, they are working from home, working different hours and after Covid it became clear how important social contact is for people and getting out in a friendly environment – even if it’s just a coffee out somewhere once a week for someone, it can make a big difference.
He added: “There is a lot of training and working things out to do so we are going to take it slowly. Eventually we will be open from around 10am until 11pm in the evenings, every day.”
