The Collective, a unique interior design and cafe-bar concept, is opening at 34 Boar Lane in Leeds city centre next week.
Inspired by the Los Angeles art scene, the brand-new venue is being fitted with high-quality furnishings and tableware which are all for sale - with a wide range of drinks and light refreshments available to order.
Movable bookcases at The Collective will also provide cosy corners to work from; well as spaces for meetings, events and workshops.
34 Boar Lane - which is already home to several businesses - has recently undergone an architectural transformation, and The Collective is taking a 1,819 sq ft unit on the ground floor with space for 42 covers.
The new cafe-bar will open next week on Boar Lane. / Image: The Collective
Ellen Pryce of The Collective described the venue as "a space to refuel, unwind and discover".
She added: "[The Collective] will provide our guests with an immersive experience that encourages them to quite literally buy into our brand.
"We have worked hard to source some amazing British companies that produce high-quality hand-crafted furnishings and tableware and it’s exciting that we can allow our guests to really fall in love with the pieces before they order them for their own home.
"The large majority of everything you see in The Collective will be available to purchase, from the sofas and modern art, to the tables, chairs and even the kitchenware.
"The food and drinks will match the curated interiors with an instagram-worthy menu of healthy brunch and lunch options, incredible coffees and classic cocktails."
The cafe-bar have only shared illustrations of their concept so far. / Image: The Collective
George Haddo, co-founder of Kinrise who own 34 Boar Lane, said: "It is very exciting to welcome such an innovative and imaginative company like The Collective to 34 Boar Lane. They are the perfect fit for our very special building, where we are creating a collaborative environment that offers our occupiers high-quality office floors, small studios or co-working desks.
"Our aim is to turn iconic but unloved buildings into creative work and community spaces. It means that the city’s heritage and soul lives on for the future and real cultural capital remains in the centre rather than being pushed further out of cities."
Current occupants of 34 Boar Lane include recruitment company Charlton Morris, pensions advisory firm Isio, brand agency McCann, culture group Leeds 2023 and popular Yorkshire restaurant chain Mowgli.
Everything in the space will be available for purchase. / Image: The Collective
The Collective will open next week. For more information, visit the Collective Inc website.
A Leeds pizza takeaway has received a glowing review from popular review duo.
Edges Pizza opened up their first permanent spot in Leeds back in June this year, after making a name for themselves slinging out pizzas at multiple pop-ups across the city.
Owners Grace and Edge from Harrogate opened Edges Pizza two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Their pizzas are a love letter to the class New York slice, think thin and crispy rather than chewy and floppy. But above all else, think absolutely delicious.
And now, they've caught the attention of a major review page, with Bite Twice Food Reviews (a page with almost 300k followers) paying Edges a visit.
The food review duo of Gerry del Guercio and Paul Delany popped up in Holbeck beneath the arches to get their hands on a pizza, and the outcome is brilliant.
In the video, Bite Twice said that the pizza is 'f**cking exceptional' and up there with 'one of the best pizzas in the UK'.
Before even taking a bite, they said: "On aesthetic, I don't think anywhere in the UK is doing pizza like this".
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Then after the first bite, they go on to say: "There are very few pizzas in the UK that create this, I’m a little bit blown away".
As Londoners themselves, they go on to say that Edges is 'easily hitting with the best that we’ve got down south'.
And if that's not high praise enough, they sign off the video saying: "Leeds has got an absolute gem. I give this a stamp so hard my foot went through the pizza. Edges. Don Level."
The 42-year-old Kirkgate Market stall serving freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 a pop
Clementine Hall
Tucked away in Leeds Kirkgate Market you'll find a wonderful seafood stall selling freshly shucked oysters for £1.90 each.
It's places like these that remind us why we love Leeds so much.
Established in 1880, Hayes Seafood is widely regarded as the oldest trader within the historic Kirkgate Market.
For the past 42 years, it has been run by Cliff and Michelle, the loveliest couple who welcome every customer with open arms.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu here is small but perfectly formed, focusing on fresh, ready-to-eat seafood that you can enjoy with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise at most.
Delivered fresh every morning, there's pre-cracked crab shells, brown and white crab meat, cockles, crawfish tails - all perfectly prepared for you to eat at their bar or high tables opposite.
But, it's the oysters that you'll see people queueing for. And rightly so.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Everything here is prepared to order right in front of you, and for no extra fee. You can choose from two types of oysters: super salty Lindisfarne oysters or the slightly sweeter English Loch Fyne.
We recommend having a couple of each, pulling up a stool right by the counter and getting stuck in. If you ask Cliff nicely, he might tell you a bit about the history of the place - but you may have to order a couple more oysters for that.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You're left to dress them yourself, whether you prefer dash of fiery tabasco or a few pickled shallots. But to be honest, they're delicious just as they come.
This spot is a real piece of Leeds history, and the queues at lunchtime as well as the repeat regular customers proves just how special it is.
All it's missing is a champagne stall next to it...now wouldn't that be perfect?
Sophie Smith -
19th November 2021 
