The Electric Church record store to launch cocktail bar

The Electric Church in Winsford has announced some major changes are taking place.

Having launched in 2017 as a record shop, the venue has continued to evolve, first with the creation of a café and now, a cocktail bar.

Owner, Jimi Ray Coppack, said: “We definitely offer something unique in Winsford and will continue to do so but solely relying on record sales is unreliable.

“Time after time the revenue generated from the hospitality side of the business has kept us ticking over.”

He added: “The Electric Church was born of the love of music and will continue to be, always.

“We will still stock and sell records, music memorabilia and homecrafted items but the shift in business will be the addition of a permanent cocktail bar due to open next month.”

The Electric Church has sold off the majority of its record collection (Image: Supplied)

Born and raised in Winsford, Jimi began collecting records at the age of 12 when he inherited his mother’s collection.

Now 36, Jimi launched The Electric Church in 2017 initially as just a record store.

However, he admits this has been "unreliable" and as such the decision was made to sell off the majority of the record collection, shifting focus to the hospitality side of the business.

As part of the redesign, a cocktail bar and accessible toilet will be created, while investments will be made into the kitchen.

Head mixologist Matt Hilditch said: “It's very exciting to be able to bring properly crafted cocktails back to Winsford.

“After my short lived tenure at local bar Eve's, I soon realised my passion for clever, botanical and complex flavours that you can only find at the bottom of a rocks glass.

“Soon becoming the brains behind Eve’s signature and seasonal cocktail menus I was able to really develop my skills and palate to bring cool, new and fresh ideas to the Winsford demographic.

“Fingers crossed people will enjoy what The Electric Church has to offer as all will be given our best."

The Electric Church will continue to serve baked goods created by Cinnamon Girl Bakery, Maggie-May Bakery and Loaded Loaves (Image: Supplied)

Jimi’s wife, Majka, runs the Cinnamon Girl Bakery and has now helped revamp the menu at The Electric Church.

The menu will largely be staying the same, with the addition of things such as loaded fries and bar snacks, as well as the return of the Christmas menu.

Work is expected to be completed in December.

Jimi said: “There may be some minor disruption to business but I'm currently doing the work out of hours to enable the business to continue trading during the day.”