Award-winning Knaresborough coffee shop owner ‘proud’ to open second larger shop in town soon

Number Thirteen may have been a completely new business when owner and operator Sarah Ward first opened its doors in Castlegate in January 2018 after returning from her travels in New Zealand.

But, with a lot of help from family and friends, her vision of a Kiw coffee experience in Knaresborough quickly proved to be a popular success.

Now Number Thirteen is set to open a second, larger shop with the same eco-conscious and sustainable ethos."When I first opened Number Thirteen, I wanted to be as inclusive as possible with the selection of products I was offering," said owner Sarah Ward."It has been very well received by customers who have food allergies and intolerances.

“It’s very exciting to be opening a second shop in Knaresborough.

"The town has such a strong, friendly business community and our customers are so loyal and supportive, I just wanted to be able to give everyone something to be proud of."

In its first 18 months of business Number Thirteen was shortlisted for, and won, the Sustainable Business Award at the Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards.

As well as featuring in A Very British Christmas, which has been aired on Channel Five for the past three years in the run up to Christmas, Number Thirteeen was also chosen to play a small part in the first episode of the BBC's Escape to the Perfect Town, which was based in Knaresborough.

In the subsequent years, Number Thirteen has been shortlisted for no less than four Sustainable Business Awards.

In 2022 it took home the accolade of Favourite Coffee Shop in the inaugural Knaresborough Business Awards, organised by the Knaresborough Business Collective.

The new, larger shop, which is located on Silver Street and will open on April 1, will hold to its owner's eco-conscious ideals.“We pride ourselves in being able to provide great products, with the added bonus that it’s not harming the planet," said Sarah."Our coffee is 100% plastic free, as we use a local dairy and glass bottles, and our cups are home compostable as well as recyclable” says Sarah.

“Another pull is our selection of homemade cakes and bakes, many of which are suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan diets.

Number Thirteen will be taking over the first floor space above Donkey’s Years Antiques which was previously home to Prudames, and more recently Christian’s Café Bar & Bistro and Blind Blind Jack’s pop up pub during the pandemic.

The new space will retain all the hallmarks of Number Thirteen’s signature retro styling but will also be more of a social space, with room for larger groups, space for pushchairs, outside seating in the warmer months and a slightly larger, more savoury offering on the menu.

Sarah Ward said: “We saw little point creating something that was exactly the same, just made bigger, and instead we’ve kept all of the best bits and built on them, trying out new things that we otherwise didn’t have the space to do in our Castlegate shop ”

The second Number Thirteen will open seven days a week, from 9am to 4pm, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.