Silsden shoppers welcome Briggate's new greengrocery
After an absence of many years, Silsden has an independent greengrocery, run by a member of a well-known local family. Olive & Green, in Briggate, opened at the weekend (November 23rd and 24th) and has attracted many welcoming comments from shoppers.
Owner Nicola Wheeler is pictured above. Her new greengrocery, which includes a deli and gift shop, occupies the prime Briggate location vacated in the summer by the former Knowles estate agency. (See my blog of July 23rd.) A trained chef, Nicola has vast experience in catering and retail, including running sandwich bars-cum-delis in Leeds. Her sister, Lora Waterhouse, is assisting Nicola at busy times and their mother, Barbara Hetherington, is supplying the gift shop with crocheted accessories. Nicola's plans for the business include using upstairs rooms for tapas nights and wine tastings plus cookery schools for children. First-floor space is also being rented by two businesses, in private-tutoring and beauty aesthetics.
Occupying one of Silsden's premier retailing locations, No 55 Kirkgate has contributed to the town's coffee-cum-catering culture, which along with hairdressing is a prominent part of the local economy. Coffydale, a combined cafe and bar, is owned by Louisa Rollins, who is pictured above on the right with colleague Gaynor Kelepouris. Louisa is a partner in another coffee shop in the area. The Silsden venture opened in January of this year. 
No 55 Kirkgate has been a shop for well over 120 years, much of that time a grocery, being particularly remembered as Holgate's. More recently it has been a cafe, Bilaluci's following the closure of Holgate's and then the Duck Pond.