Tiny new coffee shop is one of Liverpool's cosiest venues

A cosy little coffee shop which recently opened in Liverpool city centre might just be one of Merseyside's smallest cafes - and customers are loving the quirky new venue. Small Town Boy on Maryland Street in the Georgian Quarter is run by neighbouring restaurant Free State Kitchen (FSK), a city centre institution which has been delighting diners for years. And FSK's excellent reputation for food and drinks has made it's way over to the opposite side of the street in newly opened Small Town Boy.

The shop only opened its doors last month but it's already getting a lot of attention on social media for its speciality coffee and mouth-watering pastries, which have seen it branded one of the city's most exciting new openings. The premises where Small Town Boy is based was formerly The Coach House pub, which took the site over after the closure of another pub called Hard Times and Misery.

Formerly known as Liverpool's 'smallest' pub, the unique little building is a tiny gem located just off the bustling Hope Street. Set over two storeys, the capacity inside is limited, which gives it an especially cosy atmosphere. With a fire welcoming coffee fans on the first floor, it's establishing itself as an ideal autumn haunt for chilly mornings.

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Hannah Ellison, general manager at Small Town Boy, told the ECHO the coffee shop's fast success has been a "pleasant surprise" in an economy that can be challenging for new businesses and independent operators.

She said: "For a long time in Liverpool it felt like we had so many new places using these old buildings and then that ground to a halt for a short while. I've worked in hospitality for 10 years now and having somewhere that's new to go and visit is exciting. Especially as we are open on Mondays and Tuesdays."

Hannah worked with the team at Free State Kitchen for five years, working in other venues across the city before eventually being brought back to consult on the opening of the new coffee shop. She said as soon as the FSK team told her about their plans for the tiny building "it made perfect sense".

Manager Hannah believes part of Small Town Boy's success can be attributed to the fact customers can get lots of different things under one pint-sized roof, from speciality coffees to matcha, sandwiches and pastries.

And the historic building has also attracted plenty of attention from customers. Hannah said: "Everyone, as soon as they walk in, asks what the building used to be. Everyone comments on how we have used the space. People remember what it used to be - one guy even came in the other day and said it used to be his office! It was a house way back when, so it has all these stories."

It was important to the team behind Small Town Boy to retain as many original features as possible, with the exposed bricks forming a huge part of the character of the building. The renovation also involved the removal of a fake roof, to once again expose the ceiling beams and help bring new life into the space.

Hannah added: "One of my favourite things is that we tried to scrape off the old Coach House sign, but now it's like a bit of a ghost sign, which I always love to see around the city. We accidentally added another feature."

Small Town Boy is open 8am-4pm Mondays to Fridays, and 9am-4pm on weekends.