New restaurant Aspire to make old Portsoy kirk 'come alive'
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A NEW Portsoy restaurant in a converted church opens tomorrow.
Following a massive redevelopment effort, the Aspire eatery will welcome people back to the old St John the Baptist Church.
The family business led by local businesswoman Jill Mair builds upon her previous experience running the Portsoy Coffee Shop.
She said: "We just can't wait to see the kirk come alive after three years in the making.
"It has always been my dream to have a restaurant so when the church came up for sale I just jumped at the chance.
"It was the opportunity to make a dream come true."
Extensive renovations to the kirk were required to make the building fit for purpose.
However, efforts were bolstered by Ms Mair's dad David Urquhart, who owns local firm Urquhart Joinery Services.
The church's flooring needed stripped out, underfloor heating installed and the building extended to make a suitable kitchen.
In the end, the 183-year-old kirk had to be taken back to the bare walls.
The team effort reflects how Ms Mair plans to run Aspire going forwards.
She said: "It will be a family run business.
"I will be in charge but all of my family have had some sort of involvement with it.
"My dad made a huge difference, taking charge of the building project and helping make it what it is today.
"We are really grateful for all the other local tradespeople who have been involved too.
"It has been a fantastic project to work on for the last couple of years."
Since walking into what Ms Mair called a "time warp" building, the kirk has been outfitted with a whole new interior.
However, she was keen to hold on to an impressive stained glass window.
She said: "When we first walked in, the church was a time warp.
"The pews were still there and bibles were still on the seats. It was really bizarre.
"There was a beautiful stained glass window, though, which we have kept and restored.
"I was happy to keep it, because it was a really nice feature of the church."
In the 11 years Ms Mair has run the Portsoy Coffee Shop, she said the business has become known for its Cullen skink and scones.
Ms Mair plans to make these staples, along with breakfasts, lunches and fly cups, for Aspire's new offering.
She said: "We have built up a really good customer base at the coffee shop over the last 11 years and we are hoping to take some of them up here too.
"We want to get more customers through the door and really get the community on board."
Eventually, though, the plan is for licensed venue Aspire to step up their offering to include evening meals.
Last weekend (January 14-15) saw locals have their first taste of what aspire has to offer during two open days.
Ms Mair said local visitors loved taking a sneak peak at the historic building's new purpose before its opening tomorrow (Wednesday, January 18).
She said: "It was unbelievable to cut the ribbon on Saturday.
"A lot of locals turned up for it and it was a whole family thing.
"There's been a huge response and a lot of people in Portsoy have been saying they are really happy to see this building getting used.
"We have had a lot more response than we expected."
The church was built in 1840 and Ms Mair hopes the flow of patrons to Aspire will keep the building accessible to the community.
She said: "It's nice to see the building getting used for something, because local churches are such beautiful buildings.
"I think it's a right shame to see them sitting empty.
"And if they're getting used in a way that lets plenty of people come in and see it, then even better."
