The owner of a recently opened wine bar in Chippenham is hoping his success can spark a town centre revival.

Bryan Houde opened Chippenham’s newest venue, The Cellar by Wine Monkey in Borough Parade, on Friday, April 28, after selling wine online for four years.

Mr Houde, who has lived in Chippenham for two years, labelled the new bar’s first weekend “spectacular” and believes he has filled a significant gap in the town centre’s offerings.

He said: “Chippenham is a really great, friendly, tight knit market community but when I first moved here and asked, ‘where can we go for a nice glass of wine’, the answer would be Bath.

“I have worked closely with wineries through Wine Monkey, but that was just a side project, and I wanted to take it to the next level.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The Cellar by Wine Monkey

“It has always been one of my dreams to own a restaurant and the wine bar was a nice halfway point, it’s a space that everyone has said the town really needs.

“People are crying out for variety and options in Chippenham, and hopefully this will be the catalyst for other independent venues to create a little nook of businesses in Borough Parade.”

After the success of the bar’s first week, Mr Houde has some big plans for the future of the business.

This includes the introduction of food onto The Cellar’s menu at the end of May.

Mr Houde plans to serve a variety of charcuterie boards, with ingredients served from local producers such as the Bath Soft Cheese Company, as well as homemade hummus and tapenade.

The retail section of the shop will also boast fresh bread from a local bakery, as well as candles, jams and marmalades.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The Cellar by Wine Monkey

There will also be teas, coffees and pastries on sale for those who aren’t big fans of wine.

Mr Houde told this paper sourcing high quality ingredients from local, sustainable vendors is an important part of his vision for The Cellar.

He added: “I use high quality ingredients and want to work with local producers as much as possible.

“There aren’t many places to get these artisan products in the centre of town so to give them a space on our shelves and give people access to them is a big boost.

“Everything is made to a sustainable standard and I’m selective about the quality of the products.”

The Cellar is open from Wednesday to Sunday, while the shop section will also open on Tuesdays.