AN OSWESTRY restaurant owner is set to open a new café and shop inside an historic town centre building.
Linda Clark, who runs vegan restaurant Fat Rabbit, is opening a second site at 20 Church Street – a Grade II Listed building which will see a new coffee shop and sustainable living themed shop come to the town centre.
After purchasing the building before the Covid-19 pandemic, Linda had planned to open a second Fat Rabbit site, but has since decided upon something different after securing funding from the Oswestry High Street Heritage Action Zone.
She said: “Since Covid happened, I’ve rethought my plans – we had to resubmit plans because it is a Grade II Listed building.
“Half of the building is going to be a coffee shop, which will be plant-based, and the other half will be called Forage, which will be a refill, zero waste, sustainable living-themed shop.
“It will be within the same ethics of what we do at Fat Rabbit, but it will be more towards retail rather than lots of food.”
It is also hoped that the building will have a yoga studio where classes can take place. Linda believes the plans will culminate in a wellness centre-style site.
Work is currently underway at the site and is being carried out by local firm Fistral, based at Bank Top Industrial Estate.
Linda hopes work could be complete in the coming months.
“We’re hoping the building will open by late summer or early autumn,” she said.
“The shopfront is having to be rebuilt because there is pretty much nothing behind those boards at the moment.
“We’re hoping around eight weeks things could be ready.
“It’s exciting to have another place in Oswestry – I’m 100 per cent committed to making the town, and especially the high street, as vibrant as possible.”