A new neighbourhood bar in Huyton Village is rallying support from customers to help it open in time for Christmas.

A new neighbourhood bar in Huyton Village is rallying support from customers to help it open in time for Christmas.

Couple Clare Wilson and Peter Stewart are planning to create the Spanish-inspired Dos Urbano on the site of a former charity shop in Huyton Village.

With a race against time to hit the festive season, they’ve launched a Crowdfunder campaign to try and speed up the refit. Instead of simply donating, supporters are being asked to buy vouchers for themselves or as a Christmas gift to exchange for a night out once the bar opens.

Clare explains:

“The Crowdfunder isn’t about covering the cost of setting up Dos Urbano, but up to now it’s been me and Peter doing everything ourselves, with family and friends, so one of the things the funding allows us to do is bring tradesmen in do the jobs and hopefully get it ready for pre-Christmas. 

“We looked at all kinds of different options for funding, but because of the cost-of-living crisis we understand times are hard so we wanted to make sure we gave people who supported us something back.

“We’ve kept it really simple, so if you think you might come and visit us over Christmas just buy a voucher and pay for your night out in advance. 

“Early bird vouchers on Crowdfunder can be spent from the day we open and once they all go, we’ll replace those with ones which start from the New Year.

“As well as the Crowdfunder, we’re also selling e-vouchers through our website so you can get them delivered straight to your inbox or buy one for someone else and choose the date they receive it.

“That way you’ve paid for a night out for somebody, maybe in January or February when they might not have had the money, and we’ve got the help we need towards opening.”

Clare and Peter were previously partners in Urbano Chiringuito in Prescot, and now own and run the successful Balearic House Drinks Company which they launched in lockdown, specialising in their own recipe sangria for the home drinks market.

They decided last summer it was time to move back into the bar business and found the empty unit in Huyton Village.

Clare, who’s from Huyton, says they realised immediately it was what they wanted:

“We viewed it and loved it, and we knew we could really run with the ideas we had. The location is perfect because Huyton is so well connected for transport and when we came and looked around we were blown away by what was here. The restaurants are all thriving and they’ve all got outside areas so there’s a really nice atmosphere.  

With Urbano Chiringuito we used to bounce really well off Pinion, Gary Usher’s restaurant, and people would come to us before and after a meal so we thought we could definitely do that again with all the restaurants around here. We just knew we’d fit in really well.”

Being at the heart of the town centre, Clare says they’re keen to create a bar with a neighbourhood feel. 

“It will have a laidback vibe, so it’ll be somewhere people can come, relax, and feel comfortable. A lot of people can’t afford to go into the city centres as much as they used to so they’re looking for local places more. We want Dos Urbano to be somewhere everyone can really get to know each other and we’ll know all the regulars. It’ll be a little home from home.

“It will keep the Spanish inspiration, so we’ll still have Spanish lager on draught and Spanish wines, and obviously our Balearic House Drinks sangria, but other drinks too, like quirky rums and gins. 

“We’ll also be doing some interesting bar snacks but not food because we’re surrounded by restaurants, so we want to add to the offering not compete against it.”

Clare says, having only got the keys last week, they’re realistic about what they can achieve before the New Year but they’re determined to try.

“We’re not going to get everything done before Christmas and we’ve been very honest about that but as long as we can prioritise and get the bar up and running, all the finessing can come later. 

“The Crowdfunder means we keep whatever we raise, it’s not all-or-nothing, so anything we can get would be massively beneficial, and even if we don’t hit our target everyone’s vouchers will be honoured. 

“We’re doing our best to get a nice bar open for everyone to enjoy over Christmas so if they’re in a position where they can buy a voucher that would be amazing and, even if they can’t, just sharing it on social media and telling their friends is really valuable.”

Support the Dos Urbano Crowdfunder here.

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