PARIA open doors on first bricks and mortar location

Wednesday, 16 August 2023 Simon Cox

Leeds based cycle clothing brand PARIA has opened doors on its first bricks and mortar venture, with the PARIA coffee shop and general store.

As we sit in the spacious courtyard drinking coffee made with beans sourced from Hard Lines, a Cardiff based speciality roasters, PARIA founder Sam Morgan points out that opening at 180 Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, Leeds, has come 3 years ahead of schedule. As is often the case, the venue, and its location, was simply too good to turn down.

What came next? 2 months of hard work. Taking keys on the 1^st of June, a major refit has taken place, build out a brand hub from which to host future events and develop new partnerships.

Sam points out that the venue seamlessly blends, “the world of cycling apparel and speciality coffee with our unique outsider vibe.” Of the 2-month sprint to get the venue open: “To say it’s been a challenge would be an understatement. 16-hour days, electric shocks, unexpected costs and a dog drinking caustic soda have all been the backdrop to bringing this to life.”

“I can now add barista to my CV and the hard work started all over again the day we opened the doors.”

Bringing the space to life has seen design work from Callum Howie and Chris Illingworth, combined with a number of skilled tradespeople, taking Sam’s concept and producing a space which has a contemporary vibe that is 100% representative of the PARIA brand.

Business, and brand

The business has raised funds to drive its growth, with the latest round – 12 months’ worth of work which closed in February of 2023 – resulting in £334,328 raised from 117 investors.

Of the brand, PARIA is now 8 years old, yet retains its original, irreverent, style, with a range which spans men’s and women’s on-bike and off-bike clothing – hoodies, sweats and accessories that encourage people to ‘choose bike’, having fun getting out on two wheels.

Here Sam stresses, “We’ve always had a passion for the irreverent, the independent, and the alternative. Twin this with a love of cycling and a keen eye for design, and you have the makings of PARIA. We set out to create something new for cyclists that couples urban influences with the grit and fervour of the Yorkshire countryside, so we design apparel that looks great and delivers exceptional technical performance.”

The brand sources fabrics from Italy, with the manufacturing work taking place in Croatia.

Design work also sees the brand collaborate with small businesses, artists and illustrators to create inspiring designs.

Since launch the business has achieved:

£546,000 direct to consumer revenue to date
323,000 website users
10,000 orders

Exploring the business in more detail, PARIA currently has a 53/47 split between e-commerce DTC sales and bespoke kit for clubs, teams and brands/businesses. Both streams of the business have allowed the brand to reach an international customer base with global sales from Spain to Singapore.

“Building community through collaborations and events has been key to our growth” points out Sam, adding “we’ve nurtured a #PariaFam which is super responsive to the brand and our product launches. A 45% returning customer rate speaks to this. We’ve built an engaged social media following of over 60k followers who are super loyal and responsive to content and organic activity”

Returning to conversation around making the café a reality, Sam mentions that “support from friends and family has been over whelming and invaluable. I can’t express enough love and gratitude for dealing with my stress, strife and absenteeism from daily life.”

Stop in and say hello

If you are in Leeds, and considering a café ride, you’ll find the coffee made just as serious coffee fans like – Hard Lines beans weighed, extraction obsessed over, milk steamed with care – paired with variety of seriously tasty cakes – all CI.N tested, and approved ;-).