If ’coffee, cocktail, sleep, repeat’ sounds like an inviting prospect then Zoe Guilford has just the place for you...

Zoe and her wife, Gemma Wasley, are the brains behind the popular Rehab Squared store in Duke Street but circumstances have caused them to take a different direction in business.

’We’ve had an amazing last two years during the pandemic.

’ It was a difficult time but we had tremendous support from the Isle of Man Government and from the Manx public who wanted to shop local,’ says Zoe.

Looking back she adds that other challenges during the five years the shop was open - which included construction works around the shop, high rates and other overheads - were still not enough to shut them down. But having a baby in May has led to a shift in their priorities and a desire to spend more time together as a family.

She says: ’The retail landscape has changed irrevocably, due to the increasing popularity of online shopping, so we have said goodbye to our beloved shop on Duke Street, and launched the Rehab Squared online shop.’

The couple are also opening two new ventures in Castle Street: a coffee and cocktail venue in conjunction with IoM Food & Beverage Ltd who run the Harbour Lights restaurants, and a loft apartment above offering tourist and staycation accommodation.

The downstairs venue will be called Henderson & Glass, thanks to a quirky little historic detail they discovered in the building.

Zoe says: ’When we were showing our partners from IoM Food & Beverage around for the first time, the sun was coming in and lighting up one of the original beams which had the name Henderson Glass on it.’

They did some research and discovered that the firm went back to the 1890s.

Having obtained permission from the Henderson family, who are based in Liverpool, they decided that Henderson & Glass would make a great name for the bar.

Loft Eleven, is upstairs. It will offer ’invisible service’, as Zoe explains: ’It’s a concept we came across on a road trip in America. When we rented accommodation in Nashville they sent us a code to get in.

’We didn’t see anyone and in the morning there were fresh pastries and orange juice left for us. You don’t have any interaction but there are emergency numbers you can call.

’It was a nice little vibe and we thought it would work well with the business traveller.’

With a coffee and cocktail bar on the floor below, it would clearly also work well for a serious night out with no taxi required.

’Coffee, cocktail, sleep, repeat,’ is how Zoe sums it up.

The Rehab Squared side of the business began when the couple started upcycling bits of old furniture out of a run-down garage. Now the store has closed, the shop on the website is going to be re-stocked with new items, focussing more on the Manx range of products.

Zoe says: ’We have worked to create a unique online shopping experience for our local and not-so-local audience of customers and supporters.

’We intend to continue sourcing unique and unusual products from all over the world, delivered to your doorstep with style and a smile.

’We also plan on continuing to create our ever popular original Manx-inspired gifts, such as our original tin sign range and band poster series.

’We would like to thank all of our customers who have bought from us over the years and to everyone who has supported us within the local community.

’Their kindness will never be forgotten. And to the people who didn’t buy from us but enjoyed a good old skeet - if we had a penny for every kind comment you gave us over the years, we would be looking at real estate in the Bahamas.’

The shop website is at www.rehab2.co.uk.

l For more information on Loft Eleven and Henderson & Glass you can visit their pages on Facebook, follow loft_eleven and hendersonandglass on Instagram, or visit www.Loft11.im and www.hendersonandglass.com.