The Coffee Snug. CREDIT: Laila Holliday
FashionNorth visited this new coffee snug to speak to the owner and discover the meaning behind this business:
The Chair, located in The Eagle Building near Old Town Sunderland, was originally just a hairdressing and cosmetology salon. This part of the unit opened 3 years ago, but more recently, on March 29 2025, owner Sarah Hume opened the other half of the unit to turn it into a coffee shop as well.
Using Baristocracy coffee, Sarah has created a cosy, tranquil and very Instagrammable vibe.
We asked Sarah if she liked the area that her business was in, because it is just outside of the city centre, she replied: “I think there’s always areas that have got a bit of everything and it is quite quiet down here, but once you know where the building is, and it is a nice building, you get that quiet cosy feel.”
We also asked Sarah why she chose to decorate the snug this way, she said: “I wanted to create a feel of being at home but not, so you’ve got the cosy vibes of being at home, but you’ve still got that industrial feeling.”
In the video, we first asked Sarah to tell us about her business and the work she does, and then we asked her what made her decide to open the coffee shop after the hairdressers.
Head along to The Chair for a coffee and a new hair-do!
