We started famous Liverpool café with 'no money' and a trip to Ikea

Two siblings started a famous Liverpool business with a trip to Ikea. For a long time Natalie Haywood, 42, from Aigburth, and her brother Graham were frustrated about one aspect of the city’s hospitality industry.

Speaking to the ECHO, Natalie said: “It came about because we wanted to make sure people could drink tea properly. We were used to getting a tea bag dumped in your cup when you asked for one in a café and generally having a poor quality experience.

“We wanted to bring good tea to Liverpool, and bring an environment to Liverpool that was more interesting than your standard coffee shop. We thought about a place where you could drink alcohol, watch interesting things on stage and listen to music. It was just to try and shake up the formulaic coffee house - a bit more of a European approach.”

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In 2007, the siblings found a place available called Static Gallery on Roscoe Lane in the city centre. They named the business LEAF, and set about getting everything they needed.

Laughing, Natalie said: “We started with no money basically. We went on a trip to Ikea to get things for the shop with a very small budget. It’s grown really organically since then.”

After nine months in Static, LEAF moved to a site on Parliament Street, before a permanent city centre home was foundon Bold Street in 2010. It proved successful and remains a popular destination for breakfast and brunch to this day.

However, the siblings began to change throughout this decade, and sought to change the business to reflect that. Natalie and Graham decided to open a new LEAF in Smithdown Road in 2019, an area popular with Liverpool’s students.

When asked why, Natalie said: “I suppose it was a reflection of where we where in our own lives. We had children and tended to stay in the suburbs a bit more.

“We wanted somewhere we could go ourselves. At the same time, people were enjoying socialising without having to go into town. That was fuelled even more by covid. People took so long to get back to the city centre and stayed locally a bit more.”

Despite the difficulties of lockdown, there were some upsides and the siblings’ decision to expand was vindicated. Natalie said:” I can't say it was a blessing in disguise and it was very tough.

“It tested out our metal and forced us to step back to see what we were doing. As operators we never stopped and had time to think like that. It was nice to serve the area but obviously it was a tough time.

“We are astounded and delighted by how vibrant, bustling and family orientated the area is. There’s been loads of great places that have opened nearby. It's one of our favourite sites out of all of them.

“We were quite nervous about taking the site but it’s been a great move for us. We do things such as a quiz and Lego clubs to bring a varied programme to the local community. It's been lovely.”

LEAF on Smithdown celebrated its fifth anniversary on September 27, which was marked with a special pudding club, quiz and live music last weekend. The firm has also opened up a third café in West Kirby.

Natalie is happy with being based on two famous Liverpool streets. She said: “To be in both sites is a dream - and it all started with an Ikea trip. We’re absolutely delighted with both our locations in the city. They’re both very real slices of Liverpool.”

“It does feel nice to nestle ourselves in these great streets. Smithdown is a great place with lots of locals there. It’s the same with Bold Street. It's not really full of chains.”