Excitement as The Optimist opens soon in Northallerton

The Optimist has been worked on for the last two years by local business owners Jamie and Deba Clark.

During lockdown, the pair were working on their other business in the area, Zoo, when they were struck by inspiration to open another business in the area.

Jamie described how when he went to buy their nightly fish and chips he would always walk past the beautiful white building with a ‘To Let’ sign outside.

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One day the sign had been replaced by a ‘For Sale’ and the couple knew that they had to seize the opportunity.

Deba said: “We live in town, just two minutes down the road.

“While we were renovating Zoo during lockdown we would always go for fish and chips for tea.

“We would walk past this property and we always liked the look of it.

“When it came up for sale we decided that we wanted to try to create a place for all events.

“We have been working on this for two years and we are very excited to open to the public on Saturday.

“There is a smart sound system that can customise the DJ that guests can hear in each room.

“The lights are on timers for different moods as the evening progresses.

“We thought about all the different events we had been to from baby showers to family meals and work Christmas meals. We think there’s a place for all of them here.

“Once we’re fully open next week we will be open from 12 midday to 12 midnight.

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“On Fridays and Saturdays we are licensed to stay open until 2am.

“We love having a business here and we hope this can grow to be a real cornerstone of the community.”

Anyone interested in signing up for the opening night on Saturday should visit the Optimist website here.