Cosy cocktails and live music on the menu as new Wick bar opens
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With one high street shop up and running, a local entrepreneur has just added another business to her portfolio in Wick with Valhalla Bar and Eatery.
Teddy Hunt is bucking the trend of shop closures in the town with two businesses opening within a few weeks of one another – a specialist beauty clinic called Northern Lights Aesthetics, which opened in November, and more recently, a cocktail bar and music venue called Valhalla Bar and Eatery.
"I wanted to create a home away from home at the Valhalla, a middle ground of drinking a fancy cocktail sat on the couch, with a cosy atmosphere and a warm welcome," she told the paper.
"It's somewhere for the whole family to enjoy, where teens are welcome during the day for ice cream sundaes and a game of pool; ladies have been joining us for afternoon teas with bubbly; families can come along for a big dinner in the evening; and adults can enjoy the late night coffee bar mid-week or live music at the weekends."
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On Christmas Eve there was a live session with Thurso-based musician James Nicol who played an acoustic selection of folk-influenced songs. Ken Bateson, from the Love Live Music (LLM) group, said he was delighted to be involved with the venue and helping promote local talent. "With LLM we're trying to support, encourage and promote live music in Caithness where we can," said Ken.
"We're a non-profit group that aims to help musicians find gigs and promote live music. We have a Facebook page page that has information about helping with equipment, such as PAs and mics, as well. We're doing this purely voluntary to support the live music scene along with bars like Top Joes, Valhalla and the British Legion and anywhere else that wants help."
Valhalla offers a permanent open mic night with an in-house piano, keyboard, violin, and guitar that anyone musically inclined can play during open hours.
Teddy added: "We still have some work to do on the building and there’s still a temporary sign outside but what myself and the team have achieved within a short space of time is nothing short of incredible. "We’re grateful for the support and feedback of our regulars who know Valhalla wasn’t built in a day."
At the moment, Valhalla is open Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm until 2am and from January it will be open from Thursday to Sunday. When the paper visited on Christmas Eve, the venue could be described as a work in progress but Teddy was confident that additional rooms would be open within a few days. The downstairs lounge is now open and from New Year's Eve a games hall with pool table and darts, along with a VIP lounge and beer garden is expected to be open as well.
"I fully support local businesses as we each offer something very different to our community with our own stamp, and it boosts our local economy as well as the tourism industry by opening more independent businesses in the town centre," she told the paper.
"I like to see local businesses and their owners thrive and will always frequent other local shops as well as my own. It’s a shame not all businesses take this view but we are so grateful to the 99 per cent who do, all the way from Shore Street to Bridge Street. Nobody is above learning or improvement and we are humble enough to work with genuine customer suggestions. In particular, I’d like to thank the good people of Highland Kebab House and Spice Tandoori for their unwavering support and professionalism, and the Cabrelli family who are continually in our corner."
As far as dining is concerned, Teddy talks about serving "big portions" of burgers, chips and pizzas as well as Mexican and Japanese influenced food. She says that the more bars and shops there are in the town centre the more benefits there will be for everyone and that Valhalla will stay strong in its commitment to showcase local talent and bring something a "little bit different" to Wick.
"My team knows I regularly thank them for their efforts and amazing attitude to work, but I’d like to publicly appreciate the effort they put in to their jobs every day as it makes my job so much more enjoyable and helps us better support our customers."
And the young entrepreneur says she has even more plans for the future and talked about opening a fitness studio in the former college building adjacent to Valhalla. "I do a bit of market research to find out what people want locally. There's a lot of potential in the town and you just find out what people want by getting out there and chatting to them."
