Inside beautiful new RESINN lifestyle store and coffee shop where people are asked to put their phones down
People are asked to put their phones down and fully immerse themselves in the experience off-line.
In an age where our phones eat first, documenting every dish and sip, it seems almost revolutionary to just put your phone away and be fully in the moment.
But that’s exactly what the owner of Sunderland’s newest lifestyle store and coffee shop wants patrons to do.
The new RESINN is stunningly beautiful, in the unlikeliest of locations, and owner Kate Blower wants people to be able to browse the carefully-curated shelves and enjoy their pour over coffees without filming or snapping for social media.
Over the past three years, the RESINN brand has built up a loyal following with its store and coffee shop in the basement of Kate and partner Erik Ohrstrom’s home in Ashbrooke.
But Kate always had the vision for a standalone store, brew bar and events space and she’s spent the past year giving an incredible transformation to a former nursery, and one time RAF bar, in Murton Street, just behind Software Centre in the city centre.
Walls have been stripped back to brick and beams exposed at the three-storey Georgian building, then layered with rich textures, mid-century elements and nods to Georgian and Victorian style cues to guide people through the RESINN experience.
“We started our pop up events three years ago in our backyard, with just three cakes on the menu and pour over coffee,” said Kate. “We wanted to test the water and see what the appetite was like.”
RESINN soon became hugely popular as word got around about its quality offering and the couple transformed the basement in their large family home, opening it at weekends for brews and interior gems.
“In the first year, people could just turn up, but it became problematic. We have public liability insurance, but it didn’t seem safe to have so many people in the space and it meant we couldn’t make it as enjoyable as we wanted it to be.
“So we brought in a booking system, which does put some people off, but we’re not the traditional cafe type of experience. Soon, people seemed happy to jump on to the booking system.”
In that time, customers have got used to the RESINN brand: a mix of home and gardens store, the couple’s own coffee inspired by their time living in Erik’s native Sweden and the ritual of Fika, and cakes and tray bakes from The Northern Bistro, which is owned by Kate’s sister.
The culture of Fika - more than just a coffee break, a social experience and connection - flows through the RESINN experience and it’s been taken to the next level at the new store and brew bar.
Signage at the bistro-curtain doors explain that no photography or filming is allowed past that point, but we were given permission as we sat down with Kate ahead of the opening last weekend.
“The size and scale of RESINN meant we outgrew our home,” said Kate. “We’ve been working on this, doing all the work ourselves, since September last year. It looked very different then and all the ceilings were lowered, but once we started peeling back the layers, we found loads of happy surprises.
“If you have the bare bones of what you need you can layer from there, which we did with building partition walls with timber from Nordstrom and old-fashioned glazing from Pilkington in Gateshead. All our materials were sourced locally and we’ve taken lots of references from our home, so people recognise those elements.”
Of course, not filming our dining experiences was once the norm and on reviving it, Kate said: “We just want people to enjoy the experience and really connect with people and the environment.
“When you’re looking down at your phone, you’re not looking at what’s happening around you - and we want a nice experience for everybody.”
The RESINN experience
Slow living and simple things, thoughtfully done, is at the core of the new RESINN, which is now open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 2pm.
The store is the largest RESINN offering to date, with all manner of cookware, furnishings, books, home and gardenware.
There’s a broad range of price points, from antique Chinese preserving pots and original abstract artworks by local artist Liam Paul to eco cleaning brushes for £3.
Coffee is RESINN’s own, high-scoring, single origin coffee and there’s a range of bakes by Northern Bistro.
As the new location finds its feet, the booking system remains for the brew bar, with a reservation for one hour, which you can book at https://www.resinnthestore.com/
But you can spend as long as you like in the store and just drop in for a peruse or a take away coffee and bake.
Moving forward, the other floors will also be used at the site, including for workshops and events.
The nearest car park is Tatham Street carpark, which is £1.10 an hour on Saturdays or £3 flat rate on Sundays.
If you’re on foot, it’s a short walk from Mowbray Park, with Murton Street just behind Software Centre, which is the easiest reference point if you don’t know the street.
There’s seating outside in the garden store, where photography is allowed, but once you’re past the main doors it’s real life immersion, so switch off and enjoy.