A new sweet-focused tea room has opened its doors in Carlisle.
MWDs Bakery has taken over Rockit Home’s coffee den on Cecil Street and has big plans for the future of the space.
Martin Douglas – who owns the bakery business – was first approached by Rockit Home owner Ursh Stevens’ partner Nick, who offered Martin the opportunity of the tea room space.
Martin said: “I kept bumping into Ursh’s partner Nick at Carlisle’s Farm Foods for around six Fridays in a row, and I told him a bit about how I was getting on and he said he might have an opportunity for me.
“So I met Ursh and got chatting with her and Nick, saw the tea room space and loved the concept and thought well lets bring a pop-up tearoom for four weeks to see if people like it.
“But in my first few days I’ve have had a really good response and a huge amount of support and although it is a pop-up, I’ve gone with the intention that I’m there to stay now.”
Offering a solely sweet menu, customers can order cookies, brownies, blondies, traybakes, cheesecakes, sundaes and pancakes as well as milkshakes, ‘freakshakes’ and warm cookie pies.
Martin, who is celiac himself, also offers an extensive menu of gluten free products – which he said has proved very appealing to customers.
The business owner also has a licence to sell alcohol and offers a small cocktail menu as well tea, coffee, special hot chocolates and soft drinks.
In the future, he aims to host bottomless prosecco brunches and all-you-can eat cake and coffee hours – but for now, he’s hoping to see in a good first month of business.
Martin said he is also now taking on a few new staff members to help out in the tearoom.
He added: “Currently the tearoom is MWDs Tearoom, but If I stay here I would like to rebrand and keep both businesses separate.
“It is all really exciting, I am just full of excitement and raring to go. All I’ve ever wanted is to bring something to Carlisle that is homely and cosy that provides great service and good quality products.”
Martin, who is a trained chef, credits his grandparents, who also wanted their own tearoom, for his passion for food and hospitality.
Four years ago, Martin first set up MWDs bakery as a side-earning business supplying local shops after he was made redundant.
He said: “I was made redundant from a really good paying job I had and at the time and the last grandma I had alive in her last few weeks got hold of my hands and said ‘look, it is now or never, you’ve been made redundant and when I’m gone I’ll have left you something’.
“She left me a bit of money when she passed to set up and I started from there and it has just gone from strength to strength. I would not be the person I am without my grandparents and my parents in my life.”
The new tearoom is currently open in March five days a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Situated in Rockit Home inside the street’s old antique centre, the building is also home to several other small business.
Ursh said: “Inside the building it’s actually a Dickensian street scene village design and we’ve got Rockit Home, Aroma Princess who does essential oils, natural shampoo bars and soaps and we’ve got Nina’s Vintage Boutique who does vintage clothes, and Martin in the back.
“I want it to be that go-to destination for people in Carlisle, we have something for everyone and we are keen to get other makers to rent the workshop space we have so we can bring a large variety of activities to the area.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t appreciate how awesome businesses on Cecil street are, a lot of independents can’t afford to be in the city centre generally, but if you come down here there’s loads of us, it’s like new alternative.”
Rockit Home was first set up 13-years-ago by Ursh and offers upcycled and unique furniture and home accessories. The business moved into the Cecil street building in 2020.
She said: “We’ve got the bulk of the building here and we design and make furniture to our designs but we also upcycle and take commissions but its not just bog standard furniture, we create lots of different things – we’re a quirky and fun brand.
“When I first moved up here, I wanted some unusual furniture for my children’s bedrooms and I’d grown up with my dad who is an antique dealer, so I knew all about going to auctions and buying old furniture.
“I started wallpapering and painting furniture and I found myself looking for unusual items to turn into mirrors and lamps and it evolved from there really.”
