Ever fancied your coffee with a side of construction? Well, you’re in luck.
The Sandbox Café, based on Keswick main street, is set to open mid August, and will give people the chance to play with realistic radio controlled construction vehicles like diggers all while enjoying a coffee and cake.
Owner Lawrance White, 33, of Cockermouth, who previously worked with real-life heavy machinery, said he wanted to create a one of a kind space where people of all ages were able to have fun.
He said: “The concept is basically a modern contemporary café environment, with a sandpit in the middle featuring radio controlled diggers, dumpers, loading shovels and construction equipment.
“I sort of got the idea from being a parent myself, my son is four and when the weather’s not brilliant there’s not a huge amount to do with him. I do take him to soft plays, but I thought there could be something that is just as fun for adults as it is for kids.
“On TikTok I also spotted that they have this concept in Dubai, and I thought it would be great to have that locally and I thought Keswick would be a perfect place to have it because it’s so popular with visitors.
“My background is actually in machinery too, so in plant hire, diggers and that kind of thing. I used to work for a plant hire firm and also an agricultural and construction dealer.
“I’ve always wanted to run my own business one day, I’ve just never known what to do, but the sandbox concept stuck with me, so I thought you know what, let’s just go for it.
“But I’m very very excited to open, It’s been received really well so far by everyone I’ve spoken to about it.”
Inside the café customers will sit at an L-shaped counter around a large sandpit by the front window, where passers by will be able to see people using the vehicles to dig and build in the sand.
Each radio controlled vehicle is one-fourteenth the size of the actual vehicles they represent and made of heavy die cast metal.
Lawrance said they’re so realistic they also work in a similar way to their real-life counterparts.
He said: “When I was sourcing the models, I wanted them to work in exactly the same way as real machinery.
“So the diggers I’ve found, the thumb controls do exactly the same command on the model as the joysticks do in a real excavator.
“They’re a step up from toy quality, they’re more like hobby quality and I’m really pleased with them, they’re really good fun.”
Customers will be able to book a 30 minute time slot to play with the different vehicles with family, friends or strangers.
The café also has an upstairs space for people just wanting a coffee or for walk in customers waiting for a time slot.
Lawrance said the space is also for people of all ages, not just children, and will be able to accommodate private events.
He added: “It’s something for everyone, not just kids, or big kids, and not just families, it can stem to corporate, birthdays and exclusive use events.
“It’s also an opportunity for parents to meet other parents, so if one kid has a dump truck and the other has a digger, the families can work together and meet other people.
“I’m hoping to see people out for date nights where they’ve just gone for a meal and want to come to us afterwards and have a laugh.
“I want it to be something everyone can enjoy and we could even host a big kids night once a month for adults to meet new people.”
Lawrance said he has also taken care to make sure the café is an accessible space.
He added: “We have a lower countertop for disabled customers, so you can get a wheelchair up to the sandpit no problem at all and we’ve moved the front door to the side.
“That way, you enter at a wider part of the path and we can get a ramp there for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
“So it is something for everybody, I don’t want anybody to be excluded at all.”
The café will serve local coffee from Carvetti, based in Threlkeld, and locally made cakes from the Buttermere Baking Company for customers to enjoy while they play.
While Lawrance said they won’t serve things like sandwiches or soup at this stage – they are hoping to do so in the future.
The Sandbox Café is set to open this summer in mid August.
