New coffee shop aims to brew up success
A freshly-opened Paisley coffee shop is hoping to achieve the perfect blend – after setting up with financial help from Renfrewshire Council.
Saporito has just opened its doors in Gauze Street, offering a mix of coffee and high-end food, including a creperie and patisserie, and even Paisley-pattern-decorated cakes!
The owners were given a helping hand to fit out their premises through a business development grant from the council’s Invest in Renfrewshire programme.
Invest in Renfrewshire is a flagship £8m scheme with the twin aims of boosting the local economy and tackling unemployment.
Saporito – which will open until 9.30pm – was set up by local businessmen Craig Bickett and Gary McCaw, who already run two other takeaways in the town centre.
The pair say they spotted an opportunity to feed into the council’s ongoing regeneration of the town centre.
Craig – recently named young entrepreneur of the year at Renfrewshire Chamber’s ROCCO business awards – said: “We wanted to bring Paisley something that wasn’t already available, both in terms of products and the opportunity for evening trade.
“The council has overseen a huge investment in the Abbey Quarter area of the town with the new flats in Cotton Street and more to come on the former Arnotts site – and we are keen to link in with that.
“Invest in Renfrewshire helped us do that and my message to other firms is that they should find out what is on offer from the council and work with them to help grow their business and the town.”
Councillor Roy Glen, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Economy and Jobs Policy Board, said: “The council sees boosting the local economy and the regeneration of our town centres as a top priority.
“We are making a substantial investment in encouraging people to live in the town centre – and the key benefit from that is the opportunity created for new and existing traders to serve those new residents.
“Invest in Renfrewshire offers a range of packages designed to help businesses get off the ground or grow – including business development grants, loans, and help to meet the wage costs of an unemployed young person.
“I would encourage any firms who haven’t yet signed up to get in touch with one of advisors to find out what we can do to help.”
Since it launched in summer 2012, Invest in Renfrewshire has signed up more than 500 local companies and helped create more than 350 new jobs in the area.
Westpoint Homes have recently started work on phase three of their popular Cloisters development in Cotton Street/Gauze Street.
Meanwhile, the council and Link Housing are taking forward development on the former Arnotts site, with construction of 31 new flats set to begin in the new year.
For more information about the scheme, call 0300 300 1180, email invest@renfrewshire.gov.uk or visit www.investinrenfrewshire.com