The Old Picture House can be found in Harbour Road, Seaton.
Please introduce yourself…
Hi, my name is Tim Chew and I'm the owner of Old Picture House situated in Seaton.
We have been open for just short of six months and are fast becoming one of Seaton's top venues. We boast a large function room which hosts; weddings, presentation dinners birthdays, wakes, live gigs and much more.
We have recently launched a fresh summer menu served from noon until 9pm, seven days a week, which has salads, grazers and sharers and burgers for lunch, with hearty homemade pies, curries and much more in the evening.
Our customers continually find themselves setting up camp at the bar, chatting to our lovely staff and making their way through our vast gin list.
Community and customer service are very important to us, we want people to walk away as friends and come back and this is something we have found time and time again.
What made you decide to set up as an independent trader in Seaton?
It all started when The Clarence, my local pub, became available in 2012 and I seized the opportunity to take it on and add some excitement to the town.
We were looking for a freehold venture in Seaton and the opportunity arose to take on Winston's bar.
We felt the space was wasted and that it was dark, dingy and lacked atmosphere.
We gutted it and basically started again, having to rerun the drains, rebuild original features… it was a big job to take on but the refurbishment has been greatly received.
How do you see your business faring in the next five years?
We hope to be the first choice in Seaton for wedding receptions and parties and be a popular hot spot for holiday makers when they visit Seaton.
What one piece of advice would you give to anybody considering setting up a local independent shop or business?
Don't expect opening a business to be an instant success, it requires hard work, determination and passion for what you're doing.
You need to adapt your business as necessary to fulfil your goal, but the rewards at the end, both financial and the sense of achievement, are really gratifying.
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