Sedgley couple realised dream to open own coffee shop

Aidan and Laura Smith have opened The Cosy Bean coffee shop in the Alderwood Precinct on The Northway in Sedgley.

The new venture, which has seen three new jobs created, was officially opened on Sunday May 4, with former Dudley MP Marco Longhi stopping by to wish the couple well as they served up a staggering 373 orders.

Aidan, a personal trainer and nutritionist who runs MA Performance Ltd and Hygia Wellness, said there's no other coffee shop nearby like the new venture which will be serving up "amazing" coffee and healthy food such as eggs and avocado.

He hopes the new venture, which will host 'talking tables' on Tuesdays for people to meet up and have a chat over a cuppa, will become a place for people to network and get together.

"It's more of a social space than a café," he said.

Word has already got around about its opening - with customers flooding through the doors on opening day.

Aidan said: "It was absolutely rammed. It went really, really well, we had an amazing day."

The 31-year-old told how it has been a long-held goal to open a coffee shop in the precinct with Laura, a merchandiser for a well-known sports clothing store, whom he said has taken charge of the interior design.

He said: "It's been our dream for seven or eight years."

Laura, also 31, added: "The more people we can get here the better to get people in the community back together again and bring a community hub here to Sedgley and The Northway precinct."

The Cosy Bean coffee shop is open seven days a week, from 8am to 4pm on weekdays and 9am to 1pm Saturdays and Sundays.