Owner of popular Northampton tea room to open second business in newly extended community centre

A new coffee shop in an extended Northampton community centre is due to open next month.

No. 50 Coffee Lounge is set to open on July 12 when the newly revamped Wootton Community Centre, in Curtlee Hill - including a new library - is unveiled.

The coffee shop will be run by the same business woman who owns popular No. 50 Tea Room in Main Road, Duston and will include much of the same menu, as well as additional items such as homemade waffles and thick shakes.

Owner, Jodie Turner, has been looking for a premises for her second venture for a while and is now confident that the community centre is the perfect location.

Jodie told Chronicle & Echo: “I’d seen loads of places available, but nothing that wowed me.

“This one was perfect and in a great area and I was lucky enough to win the tender.

“I live around the area so I know what the clientele is like and I know that there is nothing like this around here, apart from Dobbies.

“There is nowhere to get a nice breakfast or to sit for a coffee on an afternoon walk, so it was perfect for me.”

Although it is the perfect venue, Jodie says it was not perfect timing considering the pandemic strains, however she had the funds and an attitude of ‘now or never’ and is excited about the opening.

Once complete, the coffee lounge will have 40 seats inside and around 20 outside, serving breakfasts all day, paninis, afternoon teas, milkshakes and homemade waffles.

She added: “It will be contemporary and modern, so not like my tea room, but it will be somewhere where people can come in and enjoy the same atmosphere.

“There is also a secondary school in Wootton and a lot of students so we will be doing homemade waffles and freshly made thick shakes to appeal to the younger people.

“I’m really excited about it, although nervous too.

“I can’t wait for the opening day as I’ve got everything on mood boards so I know what it will look like but I want to get in there and do it all now.”

The build on the community centre will be complete on June 23 and then Jodie is hoping to go in with her builders the following day to install the kitchen and put a No. 50 spin on the place.

In the run up to the opening, Jodie is also looking to hire around ten new members of staff and she is keen to offer employment to students.