Our Journey, So Far… – The Fabulous Fizz Bar
Why now you may ask, have I decided to write my first blog for the Fabulous Fizz Bar – a whole two years since the business launched? Well the truth is that once we started down the path of getting the fabulous Claude back on the road, our feet simply haven’t touched the ground! But with 2020, like so many other hospitality businesses not turning out to be the year that we expected it to be, there could be no better time than now to share with you our journey so far.
Where it all began
So where did the idea for the Fabulous Fizz Bar begin? Well I’ve always worked in marketing and commercial roles, but my heart was never truly in it. I’d already launched a successful wedding photography business with my husband Steve (he’s the amazing photographer not me!) and from my involvement in that, I knew where my passion really lay – in events.
So in the Summer of 2017 while spending a glorious summer’s day with my family exploring the grounds of a rather grand stately home, we emerged through a clearing to see what at the time, I thought was the coolest thing I’d ever seen – a bright pink vintage van serving champagne and Pimm’s. It was love at first sight! I became obsessed with this cute little van and after a bit of research discovered that it was an iconic French Citroen HY van. Even though the pink van that I’d seen, had been to be honest in a pretty dilapidated state, I just loved its quirkiness. The search for our very own Citroen HY van began.
The search begins
Fast forward to Valentine’s Day when in the dead of night, my own van did finally arrive on the back of a trailer, which has to be with out question, the best Valentine’s gift I’ve ever received! Months of careful restoration followed to bring our van, which we affectionately named Claude back to life. One of the things that caused the most deliberation was to what colour Claude should be, with us finally opting for a gorgeous vintage gold colour. The final touches were added with the hand painted lettering and logos by the hugely talented Jim from Seven 9 Signs in Birmingham.
With the transformation complete, it was well worth all of the hard work and effort, as Claude is without a doubt a real showstopper mobile bar. Wherever we go he never fails to attract lots of attention and we love that people always wave and smile when we drive past.
The Fabulous Fizz Bar – Officially Launched!
We officially launched the Fabulous Fizz Bar at Uttoxeter Racecourse’s Ladies Day in July 2018, which was the perfect event for the unveiling of Claude. And since then we honestly haven’t looked back, with Claude providing lots of fun and fabulous drinks at all sorts of celebrations, from weddings, milestone birthdays, garden parties to hen dos and corporate events. We’ve also had a great time attending local street food events with Feast Stone, the seasonal artisan markets at Haddon Hall, community events in Buxton and Gawsworth Hall to name but a few.
It’s so satisfying to know that Claude started out his life tootling around the vineyards of rural France and is now enjoying his second wind as a very cool cocktail bar at all sorts of amazing celebrations. It’s great fun and we can’t wait to be back out there again in 2021!