The NV Southampton

THERE is a great story behind the name of Jean Leake's latest business venture.

She wanted to call her new restaurant and cabaret venue The Vaults in recognition of the banking history associated with the building.

But when she came to fill in the paperwork for her solicitors, she didn't know how to spell the word.

"I was embarrassed and told them in the meantime to call it New Venue.

"Then at subsequent meetings, it got abbreviated to NV and, in the end, I thought that was a really good name," she said.

Jean, 49, has coped with dyslexia by refusing to let it rule her life. She cannot read and has difficulty writing but she wouldn't let it cramp her style.

"I copy a lot so that people won't realise the difficulty I am having," she said.

"I tell people to contact me by phone and not send me a letter - if they do I really struggle to read it.

"Luckily, I am really good with figures and I have never allowed the dyslexia to stop me doing what I want to do.

"The big drawback in business is that it costs you twice as much in solicitors' bills when you can't read.

"I have got an amazing memory and a real attention for detail - and I think that's as a result of the dyslexia."

Despite the difficulty with words, Jean has become one of the city's most successful businesswomen.

She's a hands-on boss who quite literally helped to clean and scrub, paint and polish every surface in her new venture.

The former NatWest bank in the High Street was built in 1838 and boasts high- moulded ceilings and Gothic columns.

"I love this building. I used to dream about running a business from here.

"A few years ago a friend of mine held a birthday party here and borrowed the place for the night.

"They brought in curtains, tables and chairs, lights, trees - the lot.

"I knew I wanted to run a business here and breathe life into this beautiful building.

"After the party I went home and drew a picture of how I would like the place to look. And that image has stayed in my mind throughout," said Jean, who lives at Ocean Village.

As a young girl growing up on the Isle of Wight, her dream was to work as a waitress at the upmarket Penguin Caf in Ryde.

"I was a skinny 15-year-old girl and I was desperate to get a job there and mix with all the posh people.

"Eventually, after a couple of goes they gave me a job. It was a really great start for me," she said.

"Then I went to Worthing and worked with a fantastic couple of guys called Henry and Derek in their restaurant.

"They taught me everything about the job - and even showed me how to apply my make-up and do my hair," she said.

In 1978 she came back to Southampton and began working at various bars and restaurants.

"I was always known as a frustrated nightclub owner. I started to work in the entertainment industry as a manager and I made quite a bit of money with a company I set up called Bodybox.

"And that money allowed me to set up my restaurant businesses," she said.

Jean has built her reputation at Merchants, the restaurant at Ocean Village.

Despite the disruption of the building works currently going on with the development of flats at the waterside location, Jean has kept her business going.

"We've carried women in over the rubble and offered to clean people's shoes after they've made their way through the worst of it.

"But despite all the mess people still came," she said.

Jean regards Merchants as her baby and NV as the mother. It took nearly a year to get the Grade II listed building ready for opening.

"We had to work with English Heritage to ensure we did nothing to detract from the building.

"It took a bit longer than we thought but we got there in the end. We've got lots of the original features.

"In the ladies and gents loos we kept all the old sinks and taps and, in the corridor outside we discovered some beautiful parquet flooring," she said.

Her partner Costa has joined her in the business along with Peter Harding, who owns the building.

"It can be difficult being taken seriously in business if you are a woman.

"For the past 35 years or so I have done everything on my own. There was never a man behind me. Now there is a man in my life and it's nice to share the vision with him," she said.

For more details contact NV on 023 8033 2255.