'I went in to fix the toilet and now I run the whole bar'

A builder who went into a bar to fix a toilet told the ECHO how he now runs it with his partner.

Ceri Long, 31, and Craig Lee, 38, have taken over Cressington Wine Bar, on Aigburth Road. The bar is dog-friendly and already becoming a favourite with people in the local area. Ceri told the ECHO she has passionately worked in hospitality for more than 10 years and spoke of her desire to one day open a venue she could call her own.

She said: "I’ve been in this industry for over a decade and I love it. My dream has always been to run a bar myself. This site popped up and we both felt we had to go for it.”

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It all began when Craig was asked to do a job. He was sent to the venue which is now the Cressington Wine Bar to help with a standard on-site refurb and he was tasked with fitting a toilet.

He said: “I was thinking ‘oh it’s quite nice in here’. Eight weeks later, we’d made it ours.”

Despite the venue being a case of love at first sight, Ceri said: “As a builder, Liam is never completely happy with how things look. No doubt he’ll be constantly changing the place and trying to improve it as we go along.”

They added: “There really isn’t much around here in terms of pubs, bars or coffee shops, for example. The guests though, they’re all so lovely. They tell me it’s fab to be able to walk, or stumble, back home. I’d honestly say our customers come from literally no more than a two-mile radius from us."

Cressington Wine Bar is working together with independent business R&H Wines to source a diverse wine list. According to the couple, the Vinho Verde white has been "flying out" and has been an emphatic favourite for customers since opening night.

The bar, although specialising in wine, also offers a wide variety of draught beers, spirits and cocktails. The venue also serves coffee for daytime customers with the bar opening daily from 11am.

On their goals for the new venture, Ceri said: “Long-term, we just want to build something together that we both enjoy. But drinking good wine and talking all day, it seems like the perfect job I suppose.”

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