{"id":1269,"date":"2020-10-15T16:07:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T16:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/?p=1269"},"modified":"2020-10-15T16:20:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T16:20:11","slug":"wellbeing-cafe-bar-northern-quarter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eatmcr.co.uk\/new-openings\/wellbeing-cafe-bar-northern-quarter\/","title":{"rendered":"A mental health and wellbeing cafe-bar opens in the Northern Quarter"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new coffee house and bar with a focus on mental health and wellbeing is opening in Manchester.<\/p>\n

The Feel Good Club has taken over the 2,800 sqft space in the newly-restored Hilton House in the Northern Quarter and will be welcoming guests for food, coffee, drinks and a range of events.<\/p>\n

Created by married couple Kiera and Amie Lawlor-Skillen, the Feel Good Club was originally started as an online community.<\/p>\n

It first launched six years ago when Kiera, who was recovering from an eating disorder, shared her experiences of recovery. After a while, Kiera got a full time job and the club went on the back burner for a few years, but it was always something she knew she wanted to return to.<\/p>\n

Things really got going in 2018 after Kiera and Amie got married. They were making merchandise in their bedroom, printed with positive messaging that had helped them along the way. But this wasn’t just about selling clothes.<\/p>\n

Kiera said: “We always had the idea that we wanted to create something bigger than a clothing brand. We wanted the clothing to kind of start the community of what we were doing to then be able to bring it to a physical space.”<\/p>\n

Just two years later, and despite a global pandemic, the pair has managed to secure investment and realise their dreams of bringing their online community into a physical space.<\/p>\n

Kiera said: “It’s a coffee shop, it’s a bar, you can get some food here. I hope it will be a place where people feel like they can be themselves, where they can feel comfortable, they can meet like-minded people, they can come to a creative space.<\/p>\n

“We encourage conversation, we encourage people to be themselves and to explore what it is that they want to do.”<\/p>\n

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Feel Good Club is on the corner of Hilton and Tib street in the Northern Quarter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What’s on the menu?<\/h3>\n

The caf\u00e9 will serve food from 9am with a range of breakfast and lunch options including loaded crumpets and sourdough toast.<\/p>\n

“I absolutely love crumpets,” says Kiera.<\/p>\n

Diners can choose a base of either crumpet or sourdough and then select one topping or as many as they like from a choice of halloumi, mushrooms, beans, cheese, avocado and more.<\/p>\n

There are Feel Good smoothie bowls and porridge for breakfast, and lunch options include a tempura cauliflower and mango bagel and a selection of salads.<\/p>\n

Also on the menu is a cheese and onion crisp sandwich. “Because it’s the ultimate comfort food, it makes me feel good every time I eat it,” says Kiera.<\/p>\n

Currently serving food until 3pm, they hope in time to be able to host pop up events in the evening in collaboration with other independents in the city.<\/p>\n

There will also be a bar serving beers, wines and other drinks, as well as coffees made from their own ‘Feel Good Club’ house beans, made by local roasters Heart and Graft.<\/p>\n

“It’s really really good, if I do say so myself,” says Kiera.<\/p>\n

‘A space where people feel good’<\/h3>\n

As well as being a place to come and enjoy food and drink, the goal is to ‘to help people become the happiest versions of themselves’.<\/p>\n

All the staff are trained to provide mental health support and people are welcome to speak to them about how they are feeling.<\/p>\n

Kiera said: “For us, it’s about people coming into the space, they can come in without judgement, wherever they’re from, whoever they love.<\/p>\n

“Our team are all mental health trained as well, so it’s kind of a place where you can come and be completely yourself. You can have some good food, some coffee or a beer.”<\/p>\n

Throughout lockdown, the Feel Good Club hosted weekly live streams to help those who were struggling with their mental health.<\/p>\n

Each week, Kiera and Amie invited artists, wellbeing coaches, fitness instructors and others to join them on Sundays from 9am to 5pm for a live stream all about self-care.<\/p>\n

Even now, months later in the caf\u00e9, they are still getting people coming into the space and telling them how much this helped them during what was a really difficult time.<\/p>\n

Kiera said: “Amie and I are very open and honest on social media, we’ve shared the whole story. So that people can see that we’re just two people who\u00a0 had a goal and this is what we’ve been able to create.<\/p>\n

“We kind of just want to inspire people to do what it is that they want to do.”<\/p>\n

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Natural light pours into the building<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The space<\/h3>\n

The Feel Good Club is on the ground floor of Hilton House on Street which has been completely renovated over the past few months.<\/p>\n

The large, open-plan space has been completely transformed with a fully-stocked bar tiled in pastel pink and a small shop stocking all the Feel Good Club merchandise.<\/p>\n

Large windows run all the way along two sides of the space, looking out onto Port Street and Hilton Street.<\/p>\n

There are lots of different seating options to choose from, bench seating by the window, individual tables, a sofa area with stools made from kegs, floor seating and two large cosy armchairs facing each other.<\/p>\n

Kiera said: “The way that we’ve created it is to allow people to feel welcome and to sit and behave how they want to.”<\/p>\n

A large greenhouse at the back of the space provides a private seating area for larger groups (up to six people under current guidelines).<\/p>\n

On the walls, they will be showing work of a different local artist every few months. The caf\u00e9 won’t take any profit from the exhibitions, it’s all about supporting local people.<\/p>\n

Any sales made will be put into a Feel Good fund and will be given to the artist and their chosen charity.<\/p>\n