Cafe urges Northampton community to pay a visit as ‘small businesses will go’ if unused

Valentine’s Bistro, located in Upton, is linked to supported living home Foxfields and is also open to the public.

The pandemic was a difficult time for the Foxfields residents, particularly after the bistro was closed by its previous owners.

This is one of the reasons why partners Abbey Garvan and Chris Cox opened the venue in spring last year, with the aim of creating an inviting and social space offering quality, home-cooked and affordable food and drink.

As well as hosting a range of events for the community to enjoy, they sell local art and crafts to raise money for The Lewis Foundation – which is the Foxfields residents’ chosen charity.

The venue had been empty for nine months before Abbey and Chris took over and with three children between them, Valentine’s Bistro is a family venture.

As the Foxfields residents missed the food offering after the former business closed down, the pair spent from March to July focusing on them. They got to know the residents and set up a pre-order service, before opening to the public and hosting events from last summer.

The business experienced a pick up in trade in January and Abbey said: “New people coming in was really nice, but we’re still finding it difficult to break through to the public that we’re open to them. They think we’re just here for the residents.

“We want to make people understand that if you don’t use a small business, it will go. That’s the last thing anyone wants and every small business has that head banging moment.”

Abbey believes the team still has a lot of work to do to reach the masses across Northampton, but is struggling to fund further advertising on a small business budget.

“Social media is only getting us so far and there are people across the road who still don’t know we’re here,” said Abbey.

Though the team would love to turn more new faces into regulars, they are pleased that the people who already visit understand the aim and vision for Valentine’s Bistro.

“They get us and love us,” said Abbey. “They love that we’re supporting the local community and artists, the amazing atmosphere, our food, good prices and the space. We’re trying to connect with more of these types of people.”

Abbey was asked what she believes sets Valentine’s Bistro apart from other venues with a similar offering across Northampton and beyond.

She said: “It’s the community feel we have and we want to grow it more. We want to help and collaborate with people. We’re trying to be the community hub where everyone wants to come for their meet ups and events.”

Abbey concluded by reiterating that Valentine’s Bistro “massively improves” the lives of Foxfields residents – and a key part of that is inviting the wider public in to share the space and building relationships with the community.

For more information on Valentine’s Bistro, visit the business’ Facebook page here.