BUSINESSMAN Dominic Pinnock has finally achieved his dream.
The 34-year-old has opened his first bar - after more than a decade of planning and trying to find the right venue.
Amour is now open in Zetland Street, Huddersfield, in the building that was Squire Hardcastle's.
Before that it was The Thirsty Scholar and the Irish League Club.
The married Fartown father-of- three says: "In 1993 I owned a record shop called Vision in Bradford Road and I put soul, R 'n' B, dance, garage and reggae nights on at venues like the Deighton Centre.
"Even then I wanted my own bar or club."
Dominic looked seriously at premises in Northgate, Huddersfield, but plans fell through.
He went back to Huddersfield University to study youth and community education and got a job in Manchester, working on sexual health among the black and Asian communities.
Now, he's an adviser to Kirklees Council's young people's service, a role he aims to keep alongside his new job as pub manager.
He teamed up with the Union Pub Company, but the investment is his own.
"I saved up for years and years," he says. "I believe in this so much. I called my bar Amour because I wanted to create a culture of love. There's so much talk in the media about violence in pubs. My aim is to make Amour a nice, well-run place for people to go."
He hopes to get a late licence soon.
On the opening night, the 12 staff, and customers raised £274 for a charity fighting sickle cell anaemia.
Dominic says: "I want to keep the fundraising going.
"Ideally we'll be doing something all the time."
