Meet the women behind North Shields’ most unique coffee shop

Rachel Holmes and Emily Cromarty are two friends, who decided to launch their own coffee and bakehouse business in North Shields - with a unique twist!

The two women met while at college studying photography over a decade ago, when they decided they wanted to go into business together. 

Their coffee and bakehouse, which is named R Place, was born in 2017, originally just as a stall at Newcastle’s Christmas Market. 

R Place has grown in many ways over the years, moving from the stall to a van, before opening their first shop in the Monkseaton area.

Now, R Place is located in Nile Street, North Shields, where customers can sit in to enjoy or take away delicious savouries, sandwiches, brownies, donuts, and their own blend of coffee supplied by Tynemouth Coffee.

Emily explained: “Monkseaton was a gorgeous spot for us, but not too much foot traffic, so once our lease was up there, we moved to Nile Street in North Shields which was our kitchen for years . We decided to transform it into what it is now, a warm sit-in or take away coffee shop and bakery with a huge community vibe. 

“Community is wildly important to us and we've never felt it more in North Shields, especially that we now both live in North Shields too. It's a wonderfully special place, and watch this space because it's about to get a whole lot more special!”

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The two pair balance work life perfectly, as Rachel runs front of house, while Emily is the baker, who has over a decade of experience as a chef. 

Emily said of her business partner Rachel: “She is exceptional at running front of house, greeting and conversing with our incredible customers. Her customer service skills and general personality is nothing short of uplifting, she is a shining star.”

But what makes R Place stand out in the hospitality industry, is that they also host workshops every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, where they welcome customers to try new experiences and crafts including; sculpture, painting, crochet, embroidery, glass, suncatchers, plant pots, jewellery, birdfeeders, calligraphy, wreath making, seaglass and even more!

Emily said: “There is something for everyone and our classes are fit to suit every budget. We will also be working with an incredible charity soon and giving some free spaces at our workshops for kids suffering with addiction in the home to give them a creative outlet, we're very much looking forward to getting this started!”

She continued: “We have created a gorgeous stop for people to come in, conversate and relax. We are such a huge part of the community, we host workshops every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with a host of incredibly talented people for beginners in just about every craft and skill! 

“Our baked items are out of this world, with love going into every morsel! Our coffee is roasted locally and lovingly and we take a huge amount of pride in what we do.”