SERIES TWO – EDITION EIGHTEEN
In edition eighteen of our ‘Faces behind the Business’ series, we caught up with Leigh Rollinson aged 30, Owner of Petrichor Coffee House and Bar; a Coffee House and Bar in Aintree.
When did you first get into the industry?
I first started bar work when I was 17 as a glass collector in Jacob’s social club in Walton, which unfortunately closed 3 years later. While longing to get back into the lively bar atmosphere, Jack and I endured almost a decade in the retail side of the Outdoor industry before deciding in mid-2019 to hop into the hospitality industry, along with Teofana, who bravely joined us from our last place of work in November 2020, the height of the pandemic!
How long have you worked at Petrichor Coffee House and Bar and what is your job role?
We first opened our doors on the 12th of December, 2020. We had a fantastic 2 weeks open before another lockdown hit and caused us to fall back on our Pandemic plan of take-outs and deliveries. Jack is our chief barista of the business, where as I overlook the bar side of things. Teofana is our right hand woman! She has been our saving grace since we met her 4 years ago, helping out in any area we need her to, there are really no limits to her talents.
What is Petrichor’s ethos?
Strengthening the Community, bringing people together.
Apart from serving people with the freshest Coffee in Aintree and introducing craft ales from across the globe, our main focus was to bring the community even closer. If at the end of our day a new acquaintance, friendship or relationship has been made which otherwise wouldn’t have happened, then it’s a successful day for us. The world is a bit of a crazy place at the moment, and that little bit of an escape from work, the kids, the dog, the wife, the husband or just life’s little stresses in general can make all the difference!
What’s the best bit of advice you could give to anyone looking at working in your line of work?
Be a people person. We genuinely love talking to and meeting new people. We’ve learnt more in the last 6 months than we have in the last 6 years, just by talking to and listening to people who have become our regular customers. Not only is it interesting learning about other people’s lives, you might not realise how much you might be helping someone else’s by just having a conversation with them over a coffee or a beer. It’s nice to be nice!
What do you love most about Liverpool?
One of the best things about Liverpool is the amount of history the city holds and the points of interest across the city which bring people in from all around the world. In particular, the hustle and bustle of flash Cars, News reporters, Helicopters and crowds in the surrounding Aintree Village that would normally accompany the world famous Aintree Grand National, just a stone’s throw away from us.
If you could describe your business in 3 words what would they be?
Sincere’, ‘Diverse’, ‘Adaptable’.
Anyone could walk through our door and we’ll whole-heartedly do our best to make sure you leave with a smile on your face!
Follow @petrichoraintree
Are you a business in the Liverpool City Region and want to feature in our Faces Behind the Business series? Contact us now by emailing hello@explore-liverpool.com or get us on WhatsApp on 07568 532 537.
