Alongside all the amazing events that are happening throughout Hull during 2017, the Fruit Market is steadily developing into a hub not only for work, but for many unique entertainment and leisure venues. From an artisan chocolatier to a record label and our very own C4DI, the Fruit Market is quickly becoming the place to be for many different industries.
An evening at Humber Street Gallery, with Phil's cocktail bar proving to be very popular!
However it’s not just classical businesses that are filling the area, as the Humber Street Gallery is proving, combining contemporary art with a modern cafe and an upcoming rooftop cocktail bar. The gallery has been open for a little over a month and has already seen significant popularity, with particularly explicit exhibitions currently on show. The rooftop cocktail bar is due to open at the end of March, offering a 360° view of the Marina & Fruit Market and glimpses of Hull’s most iconic buildings.
We talked to C4DI member Phil Benson, owner of the cafe and cocktail bar at Humber Street Gallery to find out what attracted him to the area: “I grew up in Hull, I went to school here and I went to Uni here. Even after spending a year abroad in America, Hull found a way to pull me back, as it does with many people.”
Phil Benson with Dead Bod, an iconic Hull landmark that has been restored and will stay at Humber Street Gallery for the next year or so.
Also a member here at C4DI, Phil runs a couple of other projects alongside the cafe/bar. He started out setting up a smoothie business that quickly blossomed into multiple smoothie bars, street food vendors and evolving into event-based cocktail bars. Alongside this, Phil founded a tech startup - a platform that connects businesses in the education market with schools, so his experience certainly isn't limited to one industry.
Phil continues about the importance of collaboration and how a place like C4DI can be useful for any type of business: “Collaboration certainly is key, being in a ‘help each other’ mindset is much more beneficial than trying to survive on your own. Today’s market requires every single business to take on the thought of how your business will grow in the digital age, and being able to learn from other industries is invaluable.”
The cafe at Humber Street Gallery is open now, and transforms into the cocktail bar in the evening and you can find them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find out more! With Hull's own Dead Bod as a backdrop and soon to expand into a rooftop bar, there really aren't any places like it, so head down to the Fruit Market and experience it for yourself! Besides, where else can you get a cocktail that combines a Bloody Mary with chip spice?...