A new microbar has opened up in Skipton, offering a wide range of real ales, craft beer, artisan spirits and live music to its customers. The Mess Room Microbar is the brainchild of Silsden based couple, Julia and Steven McNamara who loved the ethos of micropubs, but wanted to create a place which appealed to both men and women alike, and also hosted regular live music and other events.
Julia and Steve took over the lease of a former garden/trinket shop in The Old Fire Station building on Coach Street, by the canal basin in April 2019, and spent 4 months converting the property. It is now a quirky and rustic microbar, complete with a festoon lit walled beer garden. The Mess Room opened its doors in August,
with a live music opening weekend, and has since gone from strength to strength, hosting over 30 events,
and welcoming thousands of customers.
Steven, a musician and artist, and previously a civil engineer, is in charge of the cask ales and craft beers, and having a loyal customer recently hail him as, ‘the king of beers’ made all the hard work worthwhile. Speaking about the journey, Steve said:
“We have put our hearts and souls into The Mess Room, and I am particularly proud of the real ales and craft beers we serve. I love the fact that we are completely independent and get to source our drinks from such a wide range of fantastic breweries. We regularly change our line up, and our customers really seem to enjoy our ever-changing cask and craft beers. We currently have 3 hand pulls and 5 kegs, however we will shortly be introducing another pump to satisfy demand.”
Whilst Steve concentrates on his beers, Julia, who has previously worked in events and marketing, focuses on sourcing the many wines, gins, rums and other spirits available at The Mess Room. She also spends countless hours listening to musicians and new music, with the aim of bringing a wide variety of music to Skipton. Both Steve and Julia are avid music fans, and Steve, also a musician himself, has yet to play at his own venue, as he is too busy serving and looking after his beers!
In addition to music, the couple have also introduced other events, including Cheese and Vinyl Sunday, Board Game Wednesdays and a stand-up comedy night. They also plan to host a classic movie night in the coming months. When asked to describe their vision behind The Mess Room, Julia sums it up it one sentence:
“We wanted to create a place, where our customers feel completely relaxed, and where they feel a little bit like they are at a small, impromptu gathering in a friend’s living room, complete with top quality drinks.”
With the warm and inviting décor, colourful cushions, fairy lights, and rugs on the walls, The Mess Room certainly lives up to this description and is well worth a visit.
