APPETITE
CONTINUE... So, in the space of a couple of years, how did this can-do couple go from a second-hand van to a micro restaurant in the historic centre of Castletown? Tom explains: “We met with Ian and Mary Beth from Foraging Vintners for a coffee, and the topic of these premises on Barracks Square came up. The building – which in past lives was a munitions store, and a mortuary - was too small for them but we thought it might work for us. Castletown Commissioners, who were at that time using the building as a bin store, were asking for expressions of interest, so we put in a proposal”. This was in January 2017, at which point, notes Tom, Secret Pizza had only done one event with their van: the Castletown Christmas lights switch-on. “Yes, we’d made pizza for the public once, and decided we were ready to open a restaurant!”. Within the space of just a few more events, Secret Pizza had outgrown the little ‘prep kitchen’ in a rented industrial unit in Port St Mary, and were ready to put down roots. This is where Conister Bank comes into the story. Kylie says, “We’d had finance from Conister before, and had a really positive experience. When you approach other banks, you have to meet so many criteria and have a certain amount of capital before you can even have a discussion. “With Conister, it was different. We went in with our business plan and just started chatting”. Tom picks up the thread: “You can go in and speak directly with the people who make the decisions. Conister are interested, they care. They’ve been down several times since we set up just to see how it’s going. They want to see local business succeed and grow because they know it’s not just good for us; it’s good for the town, and for the health of the community”. With all systems go, the couple brought in architect Andrew Bentley to help them realise their vision for The Secret Pizza Company’s fledgling restaurant, and – once the location of the all-important oven had been decided – everything began to fall into place. Fast forward to a fine Spring evening, and Barracks Square is alive with convivial sounds as people eat, drink and mingle. “We always wanted to create a relaxed, social atmosphere. That’s why we put in communal seating and don’t take reservations,” says Tom. “And it’s working: customers are popping by and chatting to people they’ve never met or haven’t seen for a long time”. Kylie adds: “We want people to feel like they can while away time here. We’ve put in patio heaters, and provide blankets for people to snuggle under on cooler nights”.
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