A NEW Pimbletts bakery is keeping the legacy of a St Helens institution alive.
The Star reported on Saturday as mayor Cllr Lynn Clarke cut the ribbon to signal the Boundary Road shop's official opening after it had initially launched for a short-term trial as a pop-up bakery.
With a long-held desire of bringing the iconic brand back to the high street, owner Ryan Little launched the bakery in November to gauge the reaction from the public.
With customers coming in their droves to taste the iconic bakery's pies and pastries, Ryan said the response made it an “easy decision” to reopen Pimbletts permanently at the location, following an extensive refurbishment of the premises.
In the bakery, a wall is decked with photographs reflecting the rich history of the Pimbletts brand, which dates back more than a century, as it continues the legacy of the local institution.
Founded by John and Mary Pimblett in 1921, John Pimblett & Sons Ltd built a business that became a St Helens intuition and synonymous with the town.
After the business closed in 2008 after 87 years, a rebrand as Pimmies Pies was launched under Arthur Bevan, trading from a premises on Jackson Street, just outside the town centre.
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Eccleston businessman Ryan purchased the business in 2021 and got the trademark to use the original Pimbletts brand.
The bakery has continued to operate from the warehouse on Jackson Street, and Ryan expressed his desire to bring the iconic brand back to the high street.
Over the Christmas and new year period, the Boundary Road bakery, following its temporary trial, was renovated with the layout inside transformed, to provide larger refrigerated displays as well as hot food displays and preparation areas.
Ryan said the new layout was designed to be more in line with the vision of the Pimbletts brand, and to have a greater “feel” of a bakery.
After launching the pop-up shop in one of his former businesses, the CBD & Co unit on Boundary Road, an additional full-time staff member has been employed in the Jackson Street warehouse to ensure that the business can keep up with the demand of the new shop.
The shop’s menu, which features a range of pies, pasties and confectionary items, has received a good reception from customers, and has been stirring the memories of Pimbletts from years gone by.
The bakery will now remain open on a permanent basis to confirm the brand's return to the high street.
Ryan added he hopes the permanent bakery will continue to re-establish the brand and he hopes other Pimbletts premises can be opened in the future, including in the town centre.
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