A TEA house and restaurant in Llandudno returned to business last week, a month after it seemed to have shut its doors for the last time after 10 years in the town.
Characters, on Llewelyn Avenue, re-opened with a slightly new look and menu on Wednesday, April 6, after it had looked to have closed for good after March 5.
Annie Sinclair and her late husband Brett previously ran Characters, with the aid of Annie’s daughter, Chloe Jackson, and her husband John.
Chloe and John have now taken on the lease of Characters, and will supported by Annie and Chloe’s daughter, Olivia.
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Chloe was delighted that the “emotional” first day back proved an “overwhelming” success.
She said: “It was lovely to see some of the regulars again. One popped in to give us a card and say congratulations! It was just really nice to be back open and to see people again.
“We decorated it all, put flowers and red roses on the tables, lit all of the candles; we created the ambiance – it was just nice to catch up with everybody.
“Before, we didn’t have a website or take cards, but now we’re taking cards and doing online instant vouchers. We’ve moved forwards, as it were!
“Mum’s helping out; she’s with me all the time. We’re a really close family, so we do everything together, and my daughter Olivia will be here, running it with me constantly.”
“It was a bit emotional as well, because we didn’t think we were ever going to get to this day, because it was never planned. It’s just lovely to be here, and people are popping in all the time.”
Given Chloe and John have also ran LAVA Hot Stone Kitchen in Conwy since 2018, they are staggering Characters’ return, with initial opening times 11am-4pm from Wednesday to Saturday.
But Chloe said this has so far not proved too arduous a balancing act, and plans to extend Characters’ opening times when footfall increases.
She said: “It’s nice because for instance, we had somebody who wanted to know if we’re open for brunch at LAVA, and we weren’t, so we forwarded them over to here, so I think one will feed the other.
“Obviously, when it gets a little busier, then we’ll open another day, and probably (stay open) a little bit later for the summer.
“(We got) lovely feedback from customers, and on Facebook as well. It’s been overwhelming.”
Though the essence of Characters has remained, subtle tweaks have included a renovation of the upstairs area and new additions to the food menu, such as avocado on toast.
Speaking to the Pioneer last month, Annie, who sadly lost Brett two years ago to a brain tumour, said how it simply proved impossible to let go of Characters altogether after 10 memorable years.
She said: “We just felt, as a family, we can’t let it go. We’ve met some amazing customers over 10 years. It was sad, really, and made us think: ‘Do we really want to let it go?’ and the answer was no.
“It’s wonderful for Chloe and John. The family’s always been in hospitality; my husband and I had been for about 40 years. We just couldn’t let it go; it’s our little baby.
“We wanted to keep it in the family; it’s a new lease of life for us all. We’re doing it for him (Brett), really.”
For more information, go to: www.facebook.com/charactersllandudno.
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