Dock House coffee shop to open in Ocean Village this week

Dock House coffee shop will officially open its doors to caffeine-loving customers on Friday.

The brainchild of couple Charlie Gray and Will Elgeti, Dock House has replaced the former Enfields building.

It offers coffee in a ‘picturesque’ location with a ‘creative and inspiring’ workspace.

Will, 31, said: “This is a premier mooring on the south coast with no coffee shop.

“We want to keep growing it so that it’s more than just a workspace and coffee shop, it’s a community.”

The coffee shop will offer ‘giant’ pastries, stuffed cookies, toasted sandwiches, and more.

But Dock House is more than just a pitstop for coffee and a sweet treat, it also offers a co-working space for members.

Will and Charlie inside Dock House (Image: Newsquest)

Charlie, 29, said she was inspired by her working experience during the Covid-19 pandemic to launch the business.

She said: “We both worked for corporate companies, and before Covid, there was never the option to work from home, and even after Covid it was a real struggle to do so.

“I own our marketing business, so I started looking at co-working spaces and they were all just desks, looking at a wall.

“I thought, ‘imagine if there was somewhere you could work that was really creative'.

“We wanted an inspiring environment to work in and it didn’t exist, at least not in Southampton.

“There are not really any places you can work collaboratively or solo.”

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She added: “Having both worked in Ocean Village, we know what’s needed.

“Will once needed to arrange a meeting and suggested the Harbour Hotel as it was the most professional setting, without just being a coffee shop.

“We thought it would be really good to come to Ocean Village and have a coffee shop and workspace available.

“Everybody we spoke to mirrored that.”

The coffee shop is on the ground floor of the building, along with a kids area and accessible meeting room.

Upstairs is the members-only section where people can have a ‘pew with a view’.

This is filled with desks, a high table, and various types of soft seating.

The upstairs also boasts two impressive spaces.

Charlie said: “We have a wellness room on this floor, which we designed our own chairs for.

“It will be fully private. I keep saying it’s like the Room of Requirement in Harry Potter.

“We also have the Helm Room – it’s whatever it needs to be. It can be a boardroom, space for events and parties, and more.

“But the view says everything.”

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She added: “We have created a really creative co-working space with a coffee shop that Ocean Village so desperately needs.

“We have been creating a bit of a buzz as people know something is going on, but don’t know what.

“I am so excited to open.”

Dock House at Unit 4, The Hawkins Tower will open on Friday.