FOR an intimatevenue in a small town, The Snug Coffee House punches far above its weight.
Tucked away down a cobbled passageway off Atherton's high street,The Snug operates in the daytime as awelcoming cafe that boasts a rich variety of wholesome, fresh food.
With a commitment to locally sourced ingredients, the cafe menu includeshearty breakfasts, succulent sandwiches, and mouth-watering specials, as well as a range ofteas, coffees, milkshakes, and cakes.
And with a pledge to championindependent, grassroots music, the Snug turns into a vibrant music venue after dark, and one that has becomeone ofthe most cherishedacross the North West.
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The Snug operates as a welcoming cafe throughout the day (Image: Snug Coffee House) With countless musicians, DJs, poets, and comedians performing at the Market Street venue over the past decade, there has been a steadfastcommitment to supporting local and up-and-coming artists.
Offering bands their first opportunity to play on stage andproviding a place where guests can tune into a new sound, the Snug has fostered a unique and strong bond between staff, guests, and artists, whichdifferentiatesit from the huge, oftencorporate arenas found in city centres.
This model of supporting artists and customers is found no more clearly than the Early Doors Club; an innovative project that the Snug has been leading to offer free gigs across the borough in the early evenings.
The Early Doors Club has encouraged people to visit four venues across the borough free of charge (Image: R. Bowen Photography) Aiming to improvefootfall figures, offerartistic opportunities, and boost local businesses,Wigan Council successfully applied for government funding to launch the 'Early Doors Club' pilot in September 2023.
With the early evening gigs rotatingfrom The Snug in Atherton to The Coffee Stop on Railway Road, and then onto Tyldesley's St George's Church andHideout Cafe in Wigan, there has been huge interest inthe projectover the past 18 months.
With some guests visitingfrom across the country and even across Europe, thousands of people have attended the events over the past 18 months.
But asthe Early Doors Club approaches its final weeks of funding, the Snug team arelooking athow the venue can continue the project in a similar but more sustainable way.
The Snug has led the Early Doors Club trial over the past 18 months (Image: Early Doors Club) Ben Morgan, events manager at the Snug, said: "The Early Doors events have been really well received, especially now people know they are coming to an end.
"They have developed a really good following, and I think people are trusting us moreand coming to events with acts they may not have heard of before.
"People are really shouting out about itand enjoying the different venues across the borough, so now we are just looking at ways we can make this slightly more sustainable."
The Snug won two awards at last year's Wigan Business Awards ceremony (Image: R. Bowen Photography) One of the ways that the Snug team have begun trialling a more sustainable approach of the Early Doors Club is by introducing a 'pay as you feel' option to some of their early evening gigs.
The hope is that, following the experience of affordablelive music and therelationships built with guests,people will continue to visit theevents and support the artists and venues.
This extra support may help the Snug manage the seemingly never-ending pressures facinghospitality venues, and particularly those that champion grassroots music.
Mark Dayvd and Rachael Flaszczak beneath the Snug's MVP plaque (Image: Snug Coffee House) Following lingering covid measures, rising electricity bills and public transport issues,The Snug was the first venue to be purchased by Music Venue Properties last year, in recognition of its dedicated efforts to the grassroots music scene.
As long as the Snug continues its live music operations, the MVP will act as a supportive landlord and cover any necessary building costs to helpsecure itslong-term future,butrent, wages, and soaringbills are something the business still has to face.
And while the V2 bus service has returned to its full pre-pandemic service along Market Street,which has helped daytime sales, there are still concerns that the 9.15pm last bus is too early for prospective customers and artists travelling from further afield.
Supplies donated to Leigh and Atherton Foodbank from a knitting group that the Snug hosts (Image: Snug Coffee House) Rachael Flaszczack, owner of the Snug, added: "Althoughwepredominantly showcase grassroots artists, we do throw in some tribute bands from time to time, and we are confident that people will have a good time here, no matter who is performing.
"Our attendance figures are very strong compared to previous years, but our bills are still a big battle for us to manage, and there are [upcoming] minimum wage increasesto think about too.
"It's good that the V2 has resumed to full servicebut the last bus is too early for some people who may want to come and play here or watch a band. The 24/7 bus[from Leigh to Manchester] is good and being used, but that doesn't come this way.
"We have a really good set of regulars and done really well with the Early Doors Club, but as Atherton is not a destination town, it can be hard to attract new faces [without improved public transport]."
The Snug Coffee House, on Market Street in Atherton (Image: Leigh Journal)
