FOREST-based Vintage Metals celebrated its brand new Coleford location with a formal ‘cutting of the ribbon’ on Saturday, January 4.
The business’ new premises, located at the Mushet Business Centre on Crucible Close, welcomed an impressive number of visitors who were able to peruse the merchandise, gaze at the vintage Lambrettas, or take in a unique cup of coffee.
A formal cutting of the ribbon was due to be conducted by Coleford’s mayor at 12pm, however due to a bereavement, Mayor Penny had to cancel, sending his apologies and best wishes. In his stead, owner of the premises Malcolm Paterson greeted onlookers and officially declared Vintage Metals in Coleford open for business.
Previously, the business was located in Bream but Vintage Metals quickly found itself needing to find a new home.
As Business Director James Turner explained: “Really what we needed was a presence, because some of our furniture is really high-end of the market. We’ve got a number of art galleries that show the furniture because we classify it as functional art.
“We needed a place not only to have a centre for scooter sales, but a place for people to view the furniture and ‘try before you buy’ as it were.”
The business was keen to find a location with a strong community ethic, and the Forest of Dean was perfect for this. James said: “We like the Forest of Dean. The Forest has a really vibrant scooter community and it’s a fantastic place to ride out in the summer.”
The grand opening showed the strength of the Forest’s community. Despite weather warnings of snow, there was plenty of support from foresters, which James said was testament to the community’s spirit.
He added: “The local Forest of Dean community and the scooter and motorcycle clubs within the community have been fantastic.”
Aside from the advantage of its larger size, the new premises also has an entertainment license, with plans for fun music events and guest DJs in the summer. During the grand opening, music was played via Vinyl record player, with highly apt songs like ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ - which, as one visitor put it, was “Vintage Metals playing vintage metals.”
The premises also has a cafe, known as Piston grind, which serves its own unique brand of coffee. Two visitors who travelled from Quedlsey and Stroud said the coffee was “gorgeous and perfect for a cold morning”.
James said the cafe is important to the business - it serves as a community hub and was one of the motivations it needed to move from its old location. He said: “For legal reasons we weren’t allowed to have a cafe as it was always a bugbear for the customers who said ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could get a coffee here?’. Of course, we’d end up serving free coffee - but we really needed something like we have now.”
James added the cafe means an ideal spot for biker groups to come on a weekend and relax during a ride-out.
The business has a broad variety of products including scooters, art, merchandise and clothing. The merchandise includes things like coffee mugs, cushions, leather gloves and hip flasks, and the clothes range from hats to t-shirts.
It is predominantly focused on classic vespa Lambretta scooters, ranging from the 1950s to the 1980s, but it also makes furniture derived from them which is becoming more popular.
James said: “Our core product is restored scooters, so that has to be our most popular product but the furniture is gaining some significant ground, not only here but abroad. So, it’s fast becoming an equal part with the scooters.
“Not only does it appeal to the people who like the aesthetic of vintage Lambrettas, but it appeals to corporates or someone that wants something quite quirky. It’s a piece of art that’s not avant-garde but quite retro.”
The business also offers customisations which customers can discuss with James or the business’ founder and Head of Operations, Surjan Pal Singh.
Customers and visitors can get in contact with the business via telephone to UK Sales Manager Nick Webb 07738230840, via email on [email protected] or following it via social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook.
You can also head down to the premises Tuesday through Sunday, at Vintage Metals Ltd, Mushet Business Centre, Unit 1G1, Crucible Close, Coleford, GL16 8RE.
