Salisbury-based mobile events service, Saddler’s Bar, was launched during the difficult times of Spring, 2018. Against the odds, the luxury mobile bar made its mark on the area’s independent business community.
The bar, available for hire complete with professionally-trained staff, offers and promotes small batch, high-quality products delivered with a personal touch. It required getting into the books of local and regional suppliers to understand their story to develop the offerings.
“We had a clear vision of what we wanted to offer and what we wanted to represent,” owner Lela Brooke said.
“We also invested heavily in the infrastructure of our business. The conversion of our beautiful horse box was carried out professionally using the finest materials and craftsmanship which took a huge amount of planning, research and time.”
But as most businesses fail in the first two years of trading, the road ahead was the real challenge. Salisbury was going through unprecedented events, which would throw many small businesses into a downward spiral, but Saddler’s Bar had a significant impact on the business community.
The high-end bar can cater for up to 200 people, with a range of beverages from draft ales, lagers and ciders to craft spirits, wines and cocktails. It has grown into a thriving service for local events and opened an additional channel for small producers to get their products to market.
“What has been amazing is the resounding messages of support received from other small businesses in our area, and without this, we may not be where we are today,” Lela said.
“Salisbury has an amazing community of hard-working independent business, not only in the city centre but like us, in the rural outskirts. There is a danger rural businesses can be overlooked by local authorities when a regeneration program is in place for a city like ours. We wanted to highlight the amazing rural microbusiness in and around Salisbury, all doing their bit for our economy, but also that a success story is possible in the face of uncertainty.”
Lela’s advice for other start-ups is to keep focused, work hard and keep talking to like-minded people.
“The likelihood is, someone else will already have experience they can share. This is the true meaning of ‘community’ and it’s on our doorstep waiting to be tapped in to,” she stressed.
As well as working closely with clients to create a customised drinks menu, the company can help plan events to take away stress.
As a thank you to its supporters, Saddler’s Bar is offering a discounted booking price for a limited time. See offer for details.
Visit www.saddlersbar.com for more information.