Behind The Door

Flock

03/07/24

Something that I have always loved about Norwich is the incredible abundance of independent cafes, restaurants and shops that exist, all bring their own unique character to our fine city!

And because of this, I am always on the hunt for new independent businesses I can discover to escape to- whether that’s because I want to treat myself to a new piece of clothing or enjoy a delicious cup of coffee with a homemade slice of cake!

A few weeks ago, I came across a new coffee shop which has arrived in Norwich, complete with an abundance of coffee, cake and a comforting sense of community- Flock!

Last week I caught up with Dale, who is one of the Owners of ‘Flock’, to discover their journey so far, what they love most about the coffee community of Norwich, as well as their plans for the future, too!

When did ‘Flock’ begin?

We (Me and my wife Vicky) became aware about the availability of the premises at end of the summer in 2023. We have lived on the same street as the coffee shop for over 10 years so have always harboured a romantic idea of running it. Following a bit of a lengthy legal process we eventually got the keys in February 2024. After undertaking a couple of months of renovation, equipment procurement and coffee tasting (we tasted SO much coffee!), we were able to open our door at the beginning of April.

What inspired you to open your own coffee shop?

The initial idea behind Flock was all about creating a social space for people to come and hang out. My social circles have migrated from pubs to coffee shops in the last few years and I just love getting out of the house to coffee shops. Whether it’s working, studying, reading a book, meeting friends or just watching the world go by, coffee shops have become a complete sanctuary for me. So that made us want to create a space where we could offer that solace for people and also build a little community within our part of the city.

What makes ‘Flock’ unique to other cafes in Norwich?

I don’t think we can claim to be unique to other places in Norwich, there are some great independent coffee shops around. I guess we’ve tried to harness the bits we love of the coffee shops we’ve spent time in. Great, consistent espresso based coffee drinks was a must. Tasty decaf was also important. Forget this ‘death before decaf’ mantra. Decaf coffee drinkers aren’t in it for the caffeine, they’re only in it for the taste so I never understand why decent decaf is often overlooked. We’re offering a rotation of high grade filter coffee for those coffee drinkers that like to try something new. We’re going for a cool, chilled vibe. We’ve arranged the seating so people can chat across the shop but there’s also options to tuck yourself away. We offer limited food
options because we don’t want our focus drawn away from the coffee. However, the baked goods we have are amazing and locally sourced (shout out to Al’s, Matilda Rose Bakes and Brownies and Coffee). And one of the big things is the community aspect.  Everybody is welcome, you don’t need to be a coffee nerd to enjoy drinking in a speciality coffee shop. It’s just good coffee, with good people. We’ve tried to blend all these things into Flock. We take the coffee seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously.

What was the inspiration behind the name?

We wanted a simple name that encompassed our aspirations of building a community. We thought about words that described groups. Flock is defined as ‘a gathering of animals’. Humans (and dogs) congregating is what we’re after, so Flock seemed like a good fit!

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced since opening (and how have you overcome this)?

I think like most people opening up a small business, self-doubt has been difficult to shelve at times. In these early days, it’s easy to get carried away with analysing how every day has gone. That’s probably not a healthy habit. Comparing yourself to other well-established independent coffee shops is also probably unwise. My wife said to me recently ‘comparison is the thief of joy’, and I think that resonates so I’m working on not putting too much pressure on Flock and enjoying the experience. It’s been amazing so far.

What power do you believe coffee (and cafes) has?

If done right, coffee shops can be a breeding ground for new friendships and connections. In the short time at Flock, we’ve already seen this happening and it’s probably the best part about working in there. Cool people meeting other cool people is mega.  We’re still building our identity, so as we grow it’s going to be really important that both employees and customers alike, continue to bring that friendly, no judgement vibe to the space.

How important do you believe it is to support the local community of independent businesses (and how can we do this)?

We’ve always been of the opinion that Norwich loves an independent! Maybe we have a slightly skewed view of this because of the people we surround ourselves with but so far, Norwich hasn’t disappointed. Independents also tend to support other independents so that is a community in itself. At a time when the cost of living is so difficult for people, I get why people are carefully considering what they’re spending their money on. Hopefully people will see the value of spending their money at independents, not only by the product, but everything else that comes with engaging with that business. Most are invested in the community around them, which also means they’re interested and invested in you.

What do you love most about the coffee community in Norwich?

The customers who make up the coffee community seem really open to trying new things. The diversity in customers is huge which just makes being involved with the community super interesting. There are also other coffee shop owners around that are just genuinely
nice people. Mark at Fika has for a long time been my go-to guy for coffee. What he has built at Fika is inspirational and Mark himself has been really supportive. I’m not one to reach out for help but he’s offered a wise word or two at times when I’ve really needed it. I’m not sure in too many other industries there’s that support between business owners.

Have you got any plans for 2024?

Away from the shop, there’s a lot going on! I’m just about to finish my PhD (hopefully) so that’s been a bit part of my life for three years. More significantly, Vicky and I are about to have our first child (due mid-July). I’m also currently working part-time in the Emergency Department at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, doing clinical and research work. Balancing these things , alongside Flock, is going to be a challenge (eek!). Shop wise, we started at opening 4 days a week and moved to 5 days a week at the beginning of June. We’re now making plans to open 6 days a week (Tuesday-Sunday) from 1st July. After the baby has arrived and our heads stop spinning from that, we’d love to start exploring how we could you use the space in the evenings to support community groups, creatives etc. Sustainability is also important to us and whilst this is always at the forefront of our minds when dealing with suppliers and in the materials we use, I’m sure there’s more we could be doing so that will become a focus of the business.

And, if you want to keep up to date with the amazing work (and coffee!) of ‘Flock’, then you can head to their Instagram (@flockcoffeehouse)!