IF you’re planning a night of drinking and dancing, how often do you look on your own doorstep for entertainment?
Most of us get our glam gear on, have a few drinks at home then jump in a taxi and head straight for the town centre. Either that or we stay at home or hit the local pub.
But are we missing out? It seems stylish bars are springing up all over the suburbs in Huddersfield, providing an alternative night out.
One of the latest to open is Nu Nu Bar, on Westbourne Road in Marsh.
The bar used to be known as Room, but that incarnation shut down at Christmas.
The venue was opened as Nu Nu by new owner Becky Khela six weeks ago and has just had its official launch party.
Becky, 28, from Almondbury, has a background in the hospitality industry and a degree in business studies from Manchester University. When the bar came on the market, she saw her chance to use her experience and knowledge.
She said: “I’ve got two sons aged five and three to look after, so it’s hard work juggling things. But the opportunity came up and I just had to grab it.”
Becky sees the suburbs as a growing market for stylish, relaxed, friendly bars.
She said: “People don’t have to go to town to visit a nice bar now. Lindley and Marsh are both becoming more upmarket and affluent and we want people to be able to enjoy themselves here. We wanted to offer something a bit different to all the traditional pubs.”
To achieve this, Becky gave the premises a total makeover, with soft purple walls and slick white furniture.
She’s installed plenty of seating, despite the bar’s cosy size, and has stocked the bar with affordable but quality drinks.
While the bar may be modern and sleek, it is not trying to be elitist and Becky is keen to welcome everyone from businessmen to students through the doors.
She said: “There is a lot of students living in Marsh and we want them to have somewhere nice to come, so we are offering a 10% student discount to cater for them.”
Some of the six bar staff are students and Becky says she has learnt a lot from them.
She says: “It can be intimidating when you are new to an area walking into a ‘local pub’ where everyone knows each other. We want to give students an alternative to that, somewhere they can feel comfortable.”
Safety and comfort are top of Becky’s list and she has even hired doormen to work on weekends to ensure customers can enjoy a trouble-free night out.
She said: “We don’t get trouble really but if the door staff are there it is a deterrent. We want the place to have a really friendly atmosphere and make it a nice pleasant and safe place for people to start their night out or just have a drink after work.”
Becky knows that out of town bars have to offer something a bit different to compete with town centre venues and can’t just rely on weekend trade.
So, she is planning a changing series of events to keep her customers interested.
There will be screenings of classic films at the bar each Sunday, complete with popcorn, a big screen showing Setanta sports, acoustic music nights and even card readings.
Future plans include extending the bar area upstairs and serving food.
Becky said: “There’s going to be a lot going on. We have already got a good customer base and we will extend upstairs hopefully in future. We are also thinking about starting to do food but I wanted to make sure we had everything else right first.”
