Once upon a time...

The idea for the concept and values of Mud Dock came easily to its founders Jerry Arron and Beverly Newman. A keen cyclist from a teenager ARRON had been consistently disappointed by his experiences in British bike shops. Bicycle retail was an uninspiring experience at best, and seemed years behind the exciting and inventive retail spaces emerging on the high street. The presentation of bikes, components and accessories in no way reflected the quality, style and innovation of the products.

The lifestyle concept of a bicycle shop combined with a bar/restaurant was a natural progression from this, combined with the love of good coffee, beer, food and wine. Frequent trips to Spain encouraged this, where the cycling and dining were both inspiring. Arron, having worked initially in magazine publishing, on titles such as NME and Melody Maker, was now running his own business, De Facto, with clients including Polydor, StreetSounds, Next and Cannondale. But with a love of cycling, Arron and Newman found London apathetic, and, in 1992, the search for the ideal city for the new proposed business began.

The South West of England, where the superb countryside and rolling moors offer some of the best cycling in Europe, was the obvious choice. The perfect location would be near the water, away from the High Street and with plenty of parking.

When, some months later, an empty dockside warehouse on Bristol’s Floating Harbour was identified, work began to transform the empty brick box that was in a previously undesirable part of the city, into a business that soon became known throughout the region. Since then, the Floating Harbour has become central to Bristol’s thriving economy, with many more bars and restaurants moving in, in quick succession. When Mud Dock opened in June 1994, the ground floor was dedicated to bikes, with a speciality in high-end mountain bikes and accessories. Half of the first floor was taken up with clothing and shoes, and the remainder formed the café. Just six tables and two dozen chairs sat quirkily among the Lycra. But the tables were almost always full so more and more were bought. The clothing gradually retreated downstairs.

The concept and industrial lo-tech design of Mud Dock soon attracted the attention of the national press. Suddenly the small café above a bike shop was being compared to more serious restaurants of note, and so the menu and service was forced to move up a gear.
Mud Dock had opened quietly but grew and developed consistently over the next few years. The café was always full so its opening hours increased and a new balcony was completed in time for the 1996 Bristol Festival of the Sea.

The accolades continued to roll in including the title of UK Café of the Year in Roy Ackerman’s Café’s of Europe. Development continued in the shop too, with a new Mud Dock MTB team, sponsored by San Miguel, competing and winning National Championships, and the trophy of UK Best Bike Shop in GQ Active.

In 2002 the first plans were laid for expanding the scope of the Mud Dock offer through the creation of the Bike Shed. For too long people cycling to work had to be content with locking their bikes to lamp-posts and changing in the toilet or stationery cupboard.

With support from Bristol City Council and the Department of Transport, work eventually began and the new extension took shape. Bespoke locker, shower and changing facilities were an integral part of the plan. The mechanics finally got to move out of the window-less workshop that had been their home for almost ten years and into the daylight at the front of the new building.

The changes were rung in the café as well. The terrace was extended on to the roof of the Bike Shed. The bar was doubled in length and, most importantly, the previously wardrobe-sized kitchen was extended to add more cooking facilities, storage areas and cellar space.

The passion and values that Mud Dock was founded upon are as strong as ever. Ten years in, Mud Dock continues to grow and develop. The rest of the story starts here.