“Frankly if I followed pure logic, I would close the doors right now.”
By Gilly Fraser
The future of the Grapes Hotel in Copshaw is looking uncertain.
Owner Steven Swan staged a public meeting in the hotel and before a packed audience spelled out his fears for the business.
“Frankly if I followed pure logic, I would close the doors right now,” he said. “We have already spent more than £450,000 on buying and then refurbishing this place so as you can imagine, any decision we take now isn’t being taken lightly.”
Steven and his sister Sharn took over the Grapes eighteen months ago along with their partners, after it had been sitting empty and unused for nine months.
They opened then on a temporary basis to cater for the Music Festival and Common Riding festivities but then closed to carry out a major refurbishment of the bars and bedrooms. They also converted part of the former dining room into a specialist whisky shop with more than 1200 bottles on offer including limited editions.
Steven says business has been good, especially during the summer months but soaring expenses for items such as electricity and business rates have proved crippling.
“Right now we really don’t know how to move things on because you need tourists as well as locals and as soon as the tourist season is over, the locals don’t come out either.”
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