Café culture as Boston Tea Party opens

Boston Tea Party has just opened a new café in Edgbaston Village, following the success of its other well-established Birmingham based premises.

Investment in the latest café at 30 Harborne Road on the corner of Greenfield Crescent, has created around 25 new jobs as Calthorpe Estates’ prestigious development of Edgbaston Village continues to create a vibrant leisure and lifestyle location.

Established in 1995, the independently owned café company has pursued a programme of carefully considered expansion since opening its very first venue and head office in Bristol. Edgbaston Village is the 20th café to be opened by Boston Tea Party.

In keeping with Boston Tea Party’s ethos of creating distinctively one-off destinations, the new 120 seat café in the heart of Edgbaston Village is situated in a sympathetically refurbished Victorian property, which was formerly the front of Nat West bank.

Plans for the building designed by Birmingham architects, St Paul’s Associates, combine the late-Victorian architecture of the main building and coach house with contemporary features, such as an impressive glass frontage and a double ceiling height atrium.

Works have included replacing the mock coach house gates using glazed folding doors to let in light, while the internal fit-out and décor complements the building’s history perfectly. Many original features have been retained. A glazed orangery extension has been added to the rear of the property where Nat West remains open for business. Landscaping has also been reconfigured to provide a terraced seating area to the front and easy access to the rear pay and display car park.

Managing Director and Owner of the Boston Tea Party, Sam Roberts, said: “Opening our twentieth café, the third in Birmingham, is a milestone for our business. Our ethos is that bigger isn’t always better, the aim has always been to develop inviting cafés in character buildings that are there to be discovered, recommended and visited regularly.

“Each and every one of our premises has been designed to create a social hub that keeps the tradition of British cafés alive as a place to meet, share good food and enjoy great company. With hundreds of thriving businesses located in and around Edgbaston Village we are looking forward to serving the community great food and drink at any time of day in a welcoming space, which is perfect place for relaxing and refreshment.”

To get the new café off to the best possible start, several members of staff including the managers from Harborne, Dale Allison and Shaney Ayre, have already moved over to the new location and will be ready to hit the ground running. Boston Tea Party is also recruiting for additional part-time and full-time kitchen staff to join the team.

Ralph Minott, Director of Development at Calthorpe Estates said: “Since our vision to develop the area first began in 2011, Edgbaston Village has grown into a flourishing leisure and lifestyle destination following the opening of a number of exciting restaurants and bars over the past three years. Boston Tea Party’s newest café perfectly complements other businesses nearby, including luxury retail outlets OKA and Neptune, offering visitors a great combination of retail therapy and destinations to dine.

“This year is a landmark one for Calthorpe Estates, as we mark our tricentenary year, so it is great to see a number of large development and renovation projects reaching completion. The arrival of some prestigious independent retail and restaurant operators has been integral to building a thriving community and delivering our vision of a destination with a vibrant daytime, evening and weekend atmosphere. What’s more, since 2014 we estimate that around 500 people will have been employed by new businesses based at Edgbaston Village, giving a welcome boost to the local economy.”

Just a mile from Birmingham city centre, Edgbaston Village is adding a new heart to the Calthorpe Estate, defined by its leafy spaces, period properties, excellent office space, outstanding educational establishments, world-class medical and internationally renowned leisure facilities, including Edgbaston Priory Club, Edgbaston Golf Club and Edgbaston Stadium.

Sitting above the Boston Tea Party café, work has just completed on a further 231 sq m (2,481 sq ft) of contemporary office space. The grade A office space is now available, which is perfect for small to medium sized businesses and served well by the growing number of nearby leisure and lifestyle facilities.

To find out more about Boston Tea Party – click here