Hundreds of people attended the opening of a new Highbridge furniture store when it held its Grand Opening on Saturday (27th April).

A ribbon-cutting ceremony by Burnham and Highbridge Mayor Cllr Bill Hancock was held to mark the official opening of Sopha, in place of former George Hotel on the A38, with the owners Matt and Emily Scott.

The major renovation project took two and a half years to complete and the store ‘soft launched’ in November 2018 and has been training its staff and putting together the finishing touches in the run up to Saturday’s big day.

Customers enjoyed a free community day, with live music and entertainment, plus a craft fair, a visit by BARB, alongside special opening offers and goodie bags. The high winds meant some of the entertainment was moved inside.

The event included a performance by Weston-super-Mare X-Factor star Kezia Povey and other local acts and the Lisa Jane School of Dance.

Matt Scott said: “At 7am, we were concerned the Grand Opening wouldn’t be able to go ahead. Gale force winds meant our marquees were blowing away and many of our stall holders were cancelling. The decision was made to clear the remainder of our warehouse into the St. John Ambulance Hall and hold the craft market in our two rear storerooms.”

“We have got to say a massive thank you to our staff, volunteers, stall holders, contractors, family, friends, Silver Spur Events, GC Sound and Light, and St. John Ambulance who helped us adapt and enact our contingency plans within a couple of hours.”
“We were truly blown away by the numbers of people who came on the day, it was beyond our wildest expectations. We’re sorry for anyone who went unserved or for whom our service was slow – there were just so many people who turned out on the day.”
“It was a real privilege to have so much local support from so many people, including the Mayor, Mayoress, Town Crier and many more who were either involved in or turned out.”
“Today also saw the launch of our new fund to raise money to install a defibrillator on our building. Fundraising activities on the day raised £392.50 and we’d like to thank everyone who contributed.”
“Lastly, we just wanted to thank the local community; today was our opportunity to give back to all those who have worked hard to make Sopha a reality. The future is down to us if we are going to truly become a new kind of ethical furniture retailer.”


Photos: Neil @ Magic Candle and Burnham-On-Sea.com

 

 
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