The road to opening The Park Pavilion has been a long one. I began the search for a premise in Helensburgh at the start of 2019, having left a full-time job after finally deciding that it was time to do my own thing.
As a local to Helensburgh, I wanted to develop a food business close to home which would benefit the local economy and community. When I saw the lease for The Park Pavilion it was clear that this was the ideal opportunity for my plans. I initially submitted a business plan for the lease of The Pavilion in May 2019 with optimistic hopes of being awarded the lease and being operational towards the end of the year. Like most new ventures there were lots of delays. The last year has been particularly challenging for obvious reasons.
I am therefore delighted that the process of opening The Park Pavilion Kiosk & Cafe is well underway. It finally feels that the end (or the start) is in sight as I begin to see some of my plans come to fruition. At this stage, I’m looking after all of the really important health, safety and legal stuff which will provide the business with a solid foundation before I start to recruit my team, develop our menus and design the inside cafe space.
I hope to have The Park Pavilion’s Kiosk open in May. I am extremely excited about this as my first step. I often take my son and nieces to play in Hermitage Park. I know how many mums, dads, grannies, and grandads would love to sip on a coffee or have a bite to eat whilst the kids play or whilst they walk their dogs. Therefore, I have decided to open and focus on the kiosk as my first step. It also means that I will be able to open the incredibly valuable public loo’s inside the building, which I know will be a welcome addition to Hermitage Parks facilities. In time I will also open and furnish the outside terrace space which I hope will be a welcome retreat and dining space on a sunny day. The opening of the cafe will follow later in the summer when I hope restrictions will be eased and I will be able to make full use of the interior space.
The kiosk’s food offering will focus on authentic street foods, gourmet sandwiches and locally made sweet treats. There will also be a good offering for kids alongside the usual tea, coffees, soft drinks and the all-important homemade ice creams.
I hope to provide regular updates in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, if you have any questions please drop me a line at Jamie@theparkpavilion.com
Hope to see you soon.
Jamie Nicolson