With space for events, pop-up galleries featuring local artists, and break out spaces for the local community to connect, the Feel Good Club Coffee House will be the first mental health & wellbeing led hospitality venue in the city.
Feel Good Club is a mental health community built by two wives, Aimie & Kiera Lawlor-Skillen. The couple’s aim is to normalise the conversation around mental health, and to help spread happiness, giving their community the tools to become the best version of themselves.
Since Aimie and Kiera started the initiative just over a year ago, they have grown a huge online community using their social media platforms.
The couple’s first venue, Feel Good Club, will open this summer in the recently restored Hilton House, thanks to investment Howard Lord, founder of local property business CERT Property who completed the redevelopment of the property.
The new coffee house, currently in the design phase, will use local suppliers, with a veggie food offering designed to make diners feel good, and monthly food and drink pop-ups, but the focus is all on the space itself.
The dog-friendly coffee house, will take over a 2,800ft space within the iconic Hilton House development in the Northern Quarter, with a clean and airy feel, in calming, earthy colours, finished with a few homely touches to encourage guests to get comfortable and use the space as their own.
The space is designed to be multifunctional, with regular events hosted by the team including yoga, wellbeing talks, cinema nights, plus a series of workshops. All staff will be mental health first aid trained, with the practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues, and the knowledge to offer support.
As loneliness is a huge problem in the UK, Aimie & Kiera have created events and spaces to encourage customers to connect, including a permanent area dedicated to customers who wish to meet new people, and a daily ‘Small Talk’ hour with special offers on food and drink, where guests will be encouraged to take the time out of their day to chat to a total stranger of friend.
Every Friday, the venue will host Freelance Fridays, where self employed people from all sectors are invited to join the team to use the space for free, and to network with other freelancers creating a community and a sense of team for those who don’t have their own.
Kiera said “Our dream has always been to bring our online community, offline and create a space where people can be themselves and talk about their feelings and mental health openly. The first ever Feel Good Club encompasses music, events, and community, and is a club where you can be yourself, alone or with company.”
“When we met with Howard and the team at CERT Property and we realised they shared our vision, our dream started to look like a reality. It is incredible that even at this turbulent time, we have managed to secure investment and are able to make this happen.”
Aimie added “It was clear to us when we started Feel Good Club online, that there was a huge demand for people to connect, and that our community was shouting out for a place they could call their own. We can’t wait to bring it to life for them and the people of Manchester. We want to create a space where our guests feel like they are at home. It will be our house, your house and a coffee house. ”
“We are thrilled to be working alongside Howard and the team at CERT Property and we can’t wait to show you all the incredible plans we have been busy working on behind the scenes.”
Howard Lord, Managing Director of CERT Property added “Our vision for this property has always been to build a community, and to bring like minded people together. It was obvious from the outset that our values aligned with those of Feel Good Club.”
“During the pandemic it became clear how important socialising is for people and it felt like the perfect time to invest in the Feel Good Club. We have already built a beautiful relationship and our aim together now is to build a community, one building at a time”
Updates on the new coffee house, including progress on site and further information on an opening date will be shared on the Feel Good Club social media channels.
