How this Yorkshire venue is bringing an old library back to life

Jamie Christian explains why unusual opening hours work for them

Attercliffe’s Free Library was once a cherished meeting place in the heart of the nation’s steel-making industry. Mums and children met there to read and gossip while the men put Sheffield on the map… until the industry declined and the dozens of pubs became a few. Now the area is being regenerated and The Library is once more a place for people to meet – only these days it’s for jazz nights and Yorkshire tapas!

Jamie Christian is using his 30 years of catering experience to restore the building to its place at the heart of the community. He wants customers to see The Library café and restaurant as a venue – because his open-plan bar isn’t open to weekend walk-ins. The model is working well for Director Jamie as the location and innovative pricing is attracting musicians, artists and even mediums from around the world. Here are his tips for success.

Celebrate your location

“This has been a library since 1894 – it’s the oldest in Sheffield – so lots of people who came here still have wonderful memories of the place. We knew we had to celebrate that.

“The walls, bar stools and fascia all have nods to books. The Landlord, David Slater, even found an original borrower’s card, so we stencilled the design onto the opaque glass that separates the kitchen from the various areas of the space.

“Any walls not covered with novels feature framed newspaper pages of Sheffield’s sporting, music and social history, old cellos and guitars, signed sepia pictures of the city’s celebrities. So, it’s still a place to meet and learn.

“A 96-year-old woman flew in from Spain where she lives now to meet two old friends. They were sharing stories about the times they brought their children here. They must have told their friends because a week later we hosted a 105th birthday party.”

Be confident

“This is a versatile, open-plan building with a few raised platform areas so we can be flexible for weekend events, whether we’ve got an Irish folk band playing, a book signing or a VIP dinner event.

“We’re open Monday to Friday 8am until 3pm and there’s a steady stream of customers every day. They come for our chef Steve Roebuck’s (pictured overleaf) exceptional breakfast and brunch menu and to enjoy sitting in a bit of community history.

“At first, we tried to stay open for customers at the weekend but it got awkward if we’d agreed to hold an event and people wanted to come in, so in the end we bit the bullet and went for this model.

“It works well because the increased footfall and word of mouth you get from a successful event brings in new customers during the week too.”

Get the pricing right

“I’ll always chat with the people wanting to hire the venue to find out what they’re like, what they need and to get an idea of numbers. Then we decide on pricing.

“If it’s a gig or we think the event will be popular, we’ll let them have the venue for free. We like it when they offer to sell the tickets because we’re not taking the risk.

“We recently had a Q&A fundraiser with former world snooker champion Jimmy White and knew we’d get a good crowd that wanted food and drink. Understanding your customers and what they’re like is vital.

“A salsa group approached us, and they were lovely but spent the first two hours teaching the routines so we took very little. A situation like that means you need to charge to cover your costs.

“You have to be careful not to discourage groups, especially ones in your community, because if people visit and love the place, they’re likely to come back in the week or hire the venue.”

Simple menu… but exceptional

“No one leaves The Library without a goodbye and a smile from me or the team because that – and the highest- quality locally sourced food – make the whole experience special for our guests.

“Attention to service applies if you come in for breakfast, a catered corporate meeting or a private hire event. And our customers love the fact that we use small Sheffield suppliers for coffee and meal ingredients.

“We keep the weekday menu to around a dozen cold bowls, hot bowls and breakfasts plus some specials and desserts. That way, we can guarantee exceptional quality every time.”

Tapas and great tunes

“We recently ran a Weekend in Paris event with solo musicians, a 14-piece orchestra and jazz band. It made us think on our feet because we had 80 people coming and only 40 seats and sofa space.

“I’d just been to the markets in Barcelona where I’d seen biodegradable trays of cones holding tapas and thought we could adapt that for a six-course menu without a bus queue buffet and no pot washing costs.

“We did a deep-fried Camembert, croque monsieur, beef bourguignon with mash and a chocolate mousse. Customers loved it so we’re doing the same with food and music from Ireland, Vancouver, Lancashire and Yorkshire. And it’s a model we can easily adapt.

“We didn’t need to hire extra staff for the night and people could stand up and eat great-quality food with someone bringing the buffet to them.”

“Footfall is our bread and butter and as this area regenerates and families and businesses move back in, we hope The Library will become a hub like it was before”

- Jamie Christian

The art of attraction

“I allow different local artists to showcase their work here free every month. It’s nice to support them and if they promote their exhibition, we get people coming to see it and have a coffee or food while they’re here.

“Like us, they use social media to promote their work and where it can be seen, so effectively you’re increasing your customer base and driving word of mouth with each new artist.”

Return of the walk-ins

“If people come back or book an event because we’ve looked after them, that’s great and it’s why we’re so strong on point of sale offers.

“We have a lot of builders and teachers who drop in before work for a coffee – we do a competitive offer on reusable mugs and a loyalty card – so three pastries from a local bakery for £1.50 is a big hit. If they like them and we become a habit, they’re more likely to want to book us for a weekend event.”

Library bookmarks

1. Speciality drink

The Library Bloody Mary is vodka, a shot of dry fino sherry, local Henderson’s Relish with celery salt, black pepper and garnished with celery.

2. Best upselling tip

We train our staff in their induction to learn about the drinks offering as well as any new food menus.

3. How important is local?

Vital. We source local beers, spirits and soft drinks including Franklins, owned by a company in Chesterfield. We have a strong relationship with
our rep and our supplier is just down the road.