Town becomes hotspot for Taylor Swift fans with themed cafe and shop.
Posted on in Business News
Nestled in the Anglesey community of Beaumaris, a shop and café have built their business around all things Taylor Swift, and fans seem to love it. The Mock Turtle in Beaumaris, Anglesey has been visited by people from across the UK and the world after a TikTok video of the shop went viral.
The Mock Turtle - an Alice in Wonderland reference - sells Taylor Swift-inspired items. Meanwhile, the adjoining café, where they whip up a variety of Taylor Swift-themed foods and drinks including homemade cookies, is named 'August', a tribute to one of Taylor's popular songs.
Located just across from the Welsh seaside town's castle, the business has seen a surge in popularity in recent weeks after becoming a social media sensation. A TikTok creator shared a video showcasing the shop's interior, and since then, the business has become a must-visit for Taylor Swift fans not only in Wales, but across the UK and beyond.
"We had some people in from Germany the other day," owner Lotti Summers told WalesOnline.
"I have tried to say people can go on the website to order things if they like but lots of people just want to visit and it's just become a destination in itself.
Lotti, who wasn't a big Taylor Swift fan until recently, initially started diversifying her business by incorporating Harry Styles merchandise.
However, when the Taylor Swift craze escalated about a year ago, she saw an opportunity to cater to Swifties with relevant memorabilia.
"There was a TikTok that was made, and it just went viral, so it's all been growing into a monster over the last few weeks, and we've had huge deliveries from the Netherlands and America. We also did an advert with the lady who made the TikTok who came in for afternoon tea and put it on Facebook and it just exploded, and we're only tiny but we are now able to employ about eight people."
Lotti, whose favourite Taylor Swift track is 'August' - also the name of her shop where they play Swift's music all day and sell various memorabilia, confessed: "I love her now. And everyone who works here is Taylor Swift obsessed as well. One of our girls in the coffee shop loves her loads and drives an hour to come and work here. And she makes great coffee too.
Lotti sources from local suppliers and bakers for her coffee shop and believes that it has helped uplift people's spirits when they visit. "Everyone just leaves with a massive smile on their face," she said.
"When people see the hand-painted Taylor Swift biscuits they get so excited and come in and buy them in the dozen, can't keep up. The cruise ships are in at the moment and when people come in, they are like; 'Taylor Swift? Here?' They just love it.
"When people come in, all they want to talk about is Taylor. All day the music's playing, and we've just had an artist come in and decorate the walls with a typewriter and the Christian Louboutin boots that she wears on stage and the whole place is full of drawings and artwork that have got Taylor on.
"Even the coffee cups have got Taylor on. And everyone that comes in is really sweet and they swap friendship bracelets with the staff and everything. I've not met a nasty Swiftie yet.
"I sold the company about two years ago, and we'd opened the shop just before I sold up. We came out of lockdown, and I was just sick of accountancy because I was doing like 80-hour weeks during lockdown.
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