To some it might seem like just yesterday that the tables appeared and the doors opened, or to others it’s a feature of life that has been there forever. But it’s now that Garp and Liis Flack and their team celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of Sticks and Stones, fifteen years since they opened their first café in Woodborough in a unit adjacent to the Garden Centre.
For many it’s a good reason just to go to Woodborough. For others a coffee, sandwich or just an opportunity to relax and refresh comes as welcome opportunity for recovery from the ordure of ‘tour-de-Garden-Centre’. Or for cyclists, to whom the Pewsey Vale is a mecca with its wonderful scenery, excellent and (fairly) quiet roads and challenging hills (Alton Barnes…). Sticks and Stones is where they stop to refresh. Visit on any weekend and there will be bikes aplenty and many lycra-clad customers enjoying a recharging break.
Sticks and Stones at Woodborough is more than just an enticing café. It’s also the main showcase for Garp’s other activities. Alongside the produce of the Sticks and Stones kitchen, there is the range of unique and beautifully crafted handmade kitchenware. Not widely accessible, and best ordered personally Garp’s pieces have been given as Royal Wedding presents and for many other special occasions.
So, fifteen years ago, how did Sticks and Stones come about? Garp and Liis met in the early 1990s. Liis was working for the Estonian Embassy in Notting Hill in London while Garp was working at Calzone, a local pizza restaurant. Their love of travel was mutual and by the time the family arrived it was clear that life in London was no longer sustainable. They decided it was time to move to the country, settling in Wiltshire in 2001. Sticks and Stones (the kitchenware business) was formed. Garp used his woodworking skills to create a variety of boards, and they imported items from where they had travelled – stoneware pestle and mortar sets from Thailand, one of their favorite destinations being a perfect example.
By 2008 they had moved to Bottlesford when one day, driving past Nursery Farm at the Woodborough Garden Centre Liis saw a sign advertising a unit to let. They took the plunge and set up a small showroom at the back end of what is now Bound by Veterans. They decided to put in two round café tables and bought a small coffee machine to encourage customers to stay and chat. Sticks and Stones the café was born.
Four years later the chance to expand arose and so Sticks and Stones took on a new larger unit, and the present day premises emerged.
It’s been a process of gradual evolution ever since. The new unit, once a potato sorting shed, was much bigger. Dick Andrews, local farmer and owner, agreed to help refit it as it needed a toilet, office and insulation, and Garp and Liis layed a custom wood floor. By November 2012 everything was ready and the current Sticks and Stones was open for business.
Still showcasing Garp’s range of handmade wooden boards, the new shop brought together a much larger collection of items for sale. As Liis says, “We always wanted to draw from our love of travel to stock an eclectic selection of things, but we particularly wanted to sell products made locally”. The cafe has expanded its food offering with a great selection of delicious sweet and savory treats. All the cakes are freshly made on the premises by Hetty Wright @hettysveganbaking who started working for the business in 2018.
Over the years the Sticks and Stones have hosted live music events, classic cars, wreath making workshops, 70th birthday parties and the Woodborough Entrepreneurs, a local business networking group. “We are also a destination for lots of cyclists in the area and further afield” she adds, “particularly in the summer as we have great outside space”.
Since the move to the current building there have been several employees, many drawn from the local teenage population. Having been brought in by their parents for a sweet treat, when they are old enough, they ask for a job. There isn’t much employment for youngsters in the area so working here is almost a rite of passage, with around 14 teenagers gaining experience of the world of work behind the counter. Although many leave to go to university, they often return to work during the long summer break when Sticks & Stones are particularly busy. Liis says, “Any business is only as good as its staff and our customers can feel that too, we have a lot of fun along the way. In fact, some of our regulars who like it so much have become employees as well”.
The Covid pandemic proved how loyal the customer base was. “As soon as we could open for takeaways our customers came back, many desperate to leave the house and see a friendly face. They’ve been amazingly loyal, and we thank them for that” noted Garp.
What does the future hold? “Ever evolving” is what drives their vision, he added. “But you can’t rest on your laurels, we will be hosting more live music as well as pop-up restaurant evenings showcasing different chefs and cuisines. We are always looking for new inspiration”.
So, fifteen years on and as inflation and cost of living pressures take hold, were they right to take the plunge? “Yes” is the clear reply. “There’s a great community here in Woodborough, we value all of our customers – regular, occasional, from next door, Marlborough or far beyond. And we want that to continue”.
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