'Growing reputation' for stylish Eden Bar & Garden in Prescot

Launching in February 2020, Eden Bar & Garden opened up as a "city centre style" bar on Eccleston Street in Prescot, with a focus on international craft ales, fine wines, and artisan cocktails.

Like many others, Eden was forced to adapt once covid brought the country into lockdown in March 2020, but after some inventive and long-term ideas, the business has become one of the venues that have helped breathe new life into Prescot town centre.

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The bar focuses on international craft beers and fine wine and cocktails (Image: Eden Bar & Garden)

Bar manager Stewart Blide said: "Because we had only been open about five weeks before lockdown, we had to be as creative as possible to keep up the bar's reputation.

"This meant offering a takeaway service but also offering items that you wouldn't be able to get in the shops, such as international beers and quality wine and spirits.

"From this point onwards, we have developed a growing reputation and a loyal customer base, and we've tried to push this even further with the look of the bar - because we know how important it is to local people who are vehemently proud of the town."

The bar displays local artists and designers (Image: Eden Bar & Garden)

With a fashionable interior and open mezzanine floor, Stewart said he and the Eden team "focused on local" to create an attractive and welcoming bar; using local designers for the bar's floral patterns and local artists for the building's artwork.

Acquiring funding from the Liverpool City Region, this also helped to spruce up the Eccleston Street bar's exterior while retaining the building's historic features.

And as Prescot has benefitted from Heritage Action Zone funding and the completion of the Shakespeare North Playhouse, Stewart said that the "collaborative" relationship between neighbouring venues has further helped to improve the high street and change attitudes about the town.

Eden benefitted from a shop front investment (Image: Eden Bar & Garden)

Stewart added: "The business community has really supported each other since we opened, and it has been collaboration rather than competition between the established venues and independent businesses.

"Gary Usher's 'Pinion' probably was a catalyst for this as it gave independent businesses the confidence to invest in Prescot.

"And although the pandemic was tough, I think it did make a shift to the microlocal, where people want to visit the venues on their doorstep.

"We're well aware of the challenges at the moment, but we hope to keep building our reputation and expand our offering in the future."

Customers enjoying the warm weather at Eden (Image: Steve Samosa)