Cafe Masonic celebrates busy launch in 'iconic' St Helens building

As reported by the Star, work has been ongoing in recent weeks to prepare for the launch of a new cafe in the Masonic Building, on the corner of Church Street and Hall Street.

Located a little further down the road from St Helens Masonic Hall, the business pays homage to the building's history with its 'Cafe Masonic' name as well as framed pictures of how the building has operated in years gone by.

Opening for the first time this morning (Thursday, September 5), the Cafe Masonic team were pleasantly surprised with the immediate response from customers, who wanted to try the cafe and support a new local business.

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Customers enjoying the new Church Street cafe (Image: St Helens Star)
Eager to invest in St Helens ahead of the town's £90m regeneration plans, Cafe Masonic was not the initial intention for the business owners, who bought the entire building with aims to convert the upstairs floors into apartments.

Yet while the building owners may have bought the venue for long-term accommodation plans, they became increasingly convinced that the ground floor's empty unit was the perfect location for a cafe, with large windows and views down St Helens' main high street.

Although the business owners’ experience is in building and construction, rather than hospitality, they see the cafe's launch as an exciting investment for themselves and the town.

The Cafe Masonic menu (Image: Cafe Masonic)
Owner Mike Heyes, from Crank, said: "This is an iconic building so we bought it to restore it ahead of the regeneration plans and build apartments upstairs, as we want to invest in the town and help bring it back to its former glory.

"We became aware that the building was derelict for around 12 years and realised that we had the perfect space for a cafe.

"This is all a bit new to me but I've had my other half helping out and we have a great team to grow the business, and we are committed to using local suppliers and employing local people."

Cafe Masonic, on Church Street in St Helens town centre (Image: St Helens Star)
Hoping to create a cafe with a "really good feel", Mike said that the business offers a traditional breakfast and lunch menu, as well as freshly made specials. There was also free tea and coffee offers with a meal to entice people inside today.

And although the business may be impacted by the demolition of the Hardshaw Centre in the coming months, Mike was optimistic that the cafe can grow its reputation with builders and contractors, and will benefit from its prime location once the regeneration plans start to come together.

"We are just finding our feet at the minute, but we have been busy straight away from 7.30am this morning, which I never expected", Mike added.

"People want local businesses and the high street to succeed, so we are hoping to build our reputation here and invest further in the town centre."

Cafe Masonic will open Monday to Saturday, from 7.30am to 3pm.