Member Article

Spennymoor gets an Enterprise Street

Benefit Street may have made national headlines but a County Durham town is creating a much more positive street name for itself for very different reasons.

A bunch of new business owners have launched their own shops on Cheapside in the town centre in the last few weeks at such as rate it is being called Enterprise Street.

The most recent business which opened two weeks ago is The Cake House. This tearoom is the owner Tracy Parnaby’s first step into full-time self-employment. Formerly a manager with Durham County Council Tracy had started making cakes as a hobby. She took advantage of the opportunity to be made redundant then took the plunge to launch her dream tearoom.

The Cake House is run by Tracy, who lives in Newton Aycliffe, and her 21 year old son Ryan Olley. She had looked for premises all around County Durham but fell in love with the Spennymoor location as soon as she saw the shop.

Tracy was given a loan from Transmit Start-Ups without which she admits she could not have opened her tearoom. The loan helped to fund her fixture and fittings such as the refrigeration and cookers needed to operate.

She said: “The Transmit Start-Ups loan has helped me achieve my dream of running my own cake shop and tearoom. From the minute I stepped through the door of the shop I could see exactly how I wanted it to look and I now have my very own vintage-themed tearoom. It is perfect and even though I have only been open such as short time it already has regular customers. The help I have also received from Brenda Wilson, my business adviser, has also been invaluable.”

Near Tracy’s business is a second new venture supported by Transmit Start-Ups. Kan Move has been established by another first-time businesswoman, Denise Banner from Bishop Auckland. She has over 20 years experience as an estate agent, value and mortgage adviser with national estate agencies.

Denise’s service covers Spennymoor and all the surrounding areas and offers clients advice on everything they need to move house in one place. She explains her strength is that she already is well-known in the area through her previous job with Halifax estate agency in the town.

Ian Straker, director, Transmit Start-Ups said: “I have never known a relatively small town attract so many first-time retail enterpreneurs before. Spennymoor has definitely got an Enterprise Street and a dynamic business spirit. I am delighted to have been able to help support these fledgling business owners launch their own enterprises. They have all hit the ground running and look certain for great success.”

Also a key instigator of this new business culture in the town is Tracy’s adviser, Brenda Wilson, who encouraged both Denise and Tracy to set up their ventures in Spennymoor. A voice of experience, she established her hair and beauty salon The House six years ago and it is going from strength to strength.

She is passionate about helping Spennymoor town centre’s regeneration and is delighted with her new retail neighbours. Brenda said: “As well as Tracy and Denise’s businesses we have also got a new florists, a spectacle and fancy goods shop and an Italian restaurant who have all recently opened. The vacant premises here have been the right place at the right time and it seems to have created a snowball effect, which is fantastic.”

Further information on Transmit Start-Ups is available on www.transmitstartups.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Transmit Start Ups .