The story behind Coffee On The Crescent

As a boy, I wanted to be a Professional Cricketer. I knew this was an 'unrealistic dream' I wasn't talented enough. 

Aged 16 someone left a book on my bedside table. I didn't know it at the time but "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho would change the course of my life. The books message is 'When you follow your dream, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it".

I committed to make my dream a reality. I sat down and made a plan. The odds of achieving my goal were long (at best) but I was going to give it everything I got. It took me nine years to accomplish my 'unrealistic dream'. My cricket career spanned for 10 incredible years.

As an aspiring cricketer traveling between Leeds and London weekly I lived a subsistence living. Going out for coffee had been a luxury I could not afford. 

As a professional cricketer I spent my down time exploring the 'Best Indie Coffee Houses' around the world. I felt like a king. My love affair with coffee and coffee shops had begun.

Following retirement there was only one thing I wanted to do.

Nothing in the shop is here by accident. we display and sell the work of talented local artists, authors and craft makers. We only stock the very best local suppliers.

2020/21 brought challenges but it was during this time that the shop showed its true colours. In 2021 despite our own challenges we raised £3000 for our local food bank. We served thousands of customers in need of a pick me up (not just the caffeinated type) during the various lockdowns. We also initiated a project to rejuvenate a long forgotten part of Woodhouse Moor.

We're a real living wage employer and currently employ five incredible full time baristas who absolutely love their craft and recently won Yorkshires Best Coffee Shop award.