Member Article

Entrepreneurial Washington couple launch unique tea room, florist and concept store

A Washington couple are have seen their retail business dream become a reality, thanks to with help from the commercial property team at Gordon Brown Law Firm.

Wayne and Kelly Kennedy’s tea room, florist and concept store ‘The Green’ has recently opened in the building left standing empty when the local library closed, centrally based on Washington’s village green.

Durham-based Gordon Brown Law Firm acted on the couple’s behalf to secure early occupation to the property, three months ahead of the sale, enabling them to be onsite and begin their sympathetic transformation of the iconic ‘Green Library’, which has been unused for over two years.

Encompassing a tea room, florist and an arts and crafts shop, the Kennedys’ business model is based around locally sourced produce – from its extensive choice of regional beverages to the ingredients used in its cakes and pastries, freshly made by local bake-from-home suppliers, to the artist and crafters’ community whose items are stocked in the gift shop.

The entrepreneurial couple also lease out the first floor to a salon and barber shop The First Floor Hair Studio who provide traditional wet shaves, hair, beauty and grooming services.

Kelly Kennedy, who runs The Green day-to-day said: “We decided to use Gordon Brown Law Firm based on their reputation as experts in the area of small business.

“I can’t thank them enough for their consistent support and friendly manner throughout. We are really grateful to Gwen for her expert and honest advice which enabled us to understand how to get the very best out of the property.”

Gwen Jones, solicitor at Gordon Brown, said: “The Kennedys approached us after seeing the old library come up for sale. Being local, they understand the importance of keeping prominent buildings such as this alive – they are often part of the fabric of life within communities.

“We assisted with negotiations between them and the council to secure a licence to occupy and to carry out works in December, with the new premises officially opening earlier this year.

“It’s been great working with Kelly and Wayne on this project. Not only are they breathing life back into a building of real significance locally, they also epitomise the region’s energetic and hardworking SME community. I’m sure they are going to make it a big success.”

Kelly added: “We appreciate it will take time to establish ourselves, however we are confident the demand is there for what we think is a unique offering and we already have our regulars, which is a great place to be. The surrounding community has been hugely supportive and we’re really excited about what the future holds for the business.”

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