Former Emmerdale mill becomes new home to Boheme Boutique

Sunny Bank Mills, where ITV’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were once filmed, is now the home of a Leeds beautician’s brand new boutique.

Rebecca Wendel has moved into Teazle House, a Victorian office building at the front of the mill complex in Farsley, between Leeds and Bradford.

Rebecca commented: “I have called my new boutique Boheme because the atmospheric Sunny Bank Mills, when illuminated at night, reminds me of a magical scene from a grand Italian opera.

“I come from Farsley originally and have watched the magnificent renaissance of Sunny Bank Mills with pride. It’s a dream come true to move into Teazle House and, after 20 years in the beauty business in Leeds, I feel I have come home.

“Sunny Bank Mills is a real community again, with lots of small businesses side by side with an art gallery and a first-class restaurant. Teazle House itself is perfect for us, with two floors enabling us to be both a hair and a beauty salon.

She added: “The location is perfect, with Boheme fronting Town Street, the main street in Farsley. There is on-site parking for our five staff, who have all settled in perfectly. I cannot thank the landlords, John and William Gaunt, enough. They have been very helpful and supportive and made us feel very much at home.”

The letting of the 1,051 sq ft Teazle House is the latest deal at the family-owned mill complex, which has seen more than 300 new jobs createdduring the past five years, with more than 60 businesses now on site.

John Gaunt, joint managing director of Edwin Woodhouse, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Rebecca and Boheme to Sunny Bank Mills and are honoured to have inspired Boheme’s operatic name.

“Rebecca’s is an excellent example of a successful business being attracted to a quality environment and her arrival underlines the versatility and flexibility of space at Sunny Bank Mills, which is attracting an exciting breadth of occupiers.”

Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey, also said: “It is great to see the ambitious plans for Sunny Bank Mills coming to fruition. I have worked closely with some of the team at the Mills, and it has always struck me how they understand that the Mills play a very special part in our area’s history. Their plans have meant that through creating a state of the art multi-purpose space, they have been able to attract a lot of new and modern businesses.

“At a time when the north of England, and particularly the Leeds area, is growing faster than before, Sunny Bank Mills are providing an excellent service to the community by employing so many people. They demonstrate the importance of connectivity to the wider area and the need for businesses to look to the future with sustainable jobs. I am sure that they will continue to grow from strength to strength.”

Mike Haigh of Leeds property consultancy Dove Haigh Phillips, who are marketing Sunny Bank Mills with JLL, added: “The arrival of Boheme further vindicates the inspirational regeneration of this iconic mill complex.

“This is one of the most significant mill regeneration projects currently being undertaken in Yorkshire. This is a genuinely exciting development. Steeped in history and with massive potential, Sunny Bank Mills is becoming one of the prime business locations in the West Leeds area. 300 sustainable new jobs so far emphatically underline this.

“The mix of historic buildings with first-class modern business facilities is a winning combination, whilst the location, in between Leeds and Bradford, close to Yorkshire’s superb motorway network, one mile from the nearest station and just five miles from Leeds- Bradford Airport, is perfect.”

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