Key Highlights :
For Sam Austwick-Hales, the dream of owning her own food shop has finally become a reality. After working at a nearby school, Sam drove past the run-down unit in Alexandra Road that used to be a bun shop many years ago and, eventually, temptation became too much and she took the shop on to bring her own vision into reality. Now, The Bun Stop in Alexandra Road, Grimsby, is open and offering a wide range of delicacies from traditional bacon and sausage buns to pulled pork and chorizo quesadillas.
Sam’s passion for Stateside cuisine stems from her grandfather who himself was American. She said: “I got all these recipes about it and it's quite big at the minute around here, but there doesn't seem to be anything else that offers it really. I just want to give people something different around here.” Everything is homemade from pastries to puddings, and Sam says “that's the way I want it to stay.”
The Bun Stop opened three weeks ago, and Sam said she was a mix of nerves and excitement at first, but had been in the shop two weeks beforehand making sure it was ready to open. “While we were decorating, people kept coming in and saying how happy they were about the bun shop coming back,” she said. “It was great to hear and, when we opened, the positive comments just continued.”
The Cost of Living crisis was a big concern for Sam when she was considering the venture, but she was determined not to let it stand in the way of her ambition. She said: “We spoke about the Cost of Living before opening and knew we couldn't do it if we were going to make a loss. The costs here are great, but if we were going anywhere else, I think we would still be questioning it. It was a case of right time, right place.”
The Bun Stop has been well-received by customers, and Sam is already looking ahead to possibly expanding in the future. She said: “The dream would be to have a couple of sandwich shops with my signature dishes. As well, we're looking into buying the Chinese across the road and turning it into a café with this being a cake shop, but for now we're just focused on the shop.”
Sam Hainton-Giles has achieved her dream of owning her own food shop, and The Bun Stop in Alexandra Road, Grimsby, is open for business. Offering a wide range of delicacies from traditional bacon and sausage buns to pulled pork and chorizo quesadillas, Sam’s passion for Stateside cuisine is evident in her homemade pastries and puddings. Despite the Cost of Living crisis, Sam has taken a risk and opened her own business, and is already looking ahead to possible expansion in the future.