It may have been nearly four years in the making, but Willerby finally has a milk bar.
Opening in May of this year, Mr Pips Milk Bar opened its doors on the Carr Lane, Kingston Road and Beverley Road roundabout. The Mr Pips team have been hard at work - with owner Phil Graham making his childhood dream come true after three years and eight months of hard work.
Serving up milkshakes and ice cream is only part of the job, as Mr Pips wants to create a full experience of the 1950s/1960s-styled American diner scene - something that was a key childhood memory for Phil growing up.
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"It's been a childhood dream of Phil's since he was really little. When he was a kid, he used to go to an ice cream parlour and it was one of the best memories of his youth, he knew nothing bad ever happened in a milk bar," said Rebecca Rose, who works at Mr Pips.
"No matter what he did throughout life, he wanted to end up owning a milk bar that was a proper 60s style American diner, and now years and years on it is what he is able to do. He's finally fulfilling his childhood dream."
Phil told Hull Live that being inclusive for all was top of his thinking when planning Mr Pips. "The main bar area has more light than usual, that's so people with visual impairments can more easily see what's on the board, and although they're only temporary menus on the tables at the moment, we've made the text bigger than usual for the same reason."
"People with dementia and Alzheimer’s get endorphins that will instantly relax them, to them the 60s may feel like yesterday or last week. Our only aim is to put smiles on faces."
Making his childhood dream has not been easy. The project has been a lengthy one, having been nearly four years in the making.
"He's spent three years and eight months building and renovating the business. The reception has been incredible, we've had amazing response from everyone. We've been asking people if there is any constructive criticism because we want to better ourselves for the customers, at the end of the day that's what it's about, but we haven't really had any. We've had everyone saying how much they love it, how different it is, it's a big thing how colourful and bright it is."
The iced cream is wildly popular, given that flavours are changed to keep things fresh, but the milkshakes are providing to be a huge drawing point too. People can go for the extravagant-looking shakes with all the cream and accessories, but Rebecca says that a stripped-back, plain old '50s shake is a huge seller. "It's a lot more affordable than other drinks in other places, we try to have cheaper options so if people only have a couple of quid, they can still get something."
A huge staple of the 60s era-specific décor is the jukebox playing hits from the time. To fit with the trend, Rebecca adds that the music comes from the authentic equipment on freeplay, rather than simply playing a playlist on streaming to keep up the time capsule illusion. "I know it says 20p, but we don't charge people, we keep it on free play all the time. We want people to come here and have an experience, rather than come, get food leave. If you want to chat with staff, come chat with staff, if you wanna sit with your friends an hour after you've finished your milkshakes, come do that. It's about being part of the community."
With community at the heart of Mr Pips, they have contacted neighbouring businesses to reassure them they are not here to steal business. "For example, The Blind Swine is a sandwich shop that's our neighbour, so we won't do any of the same stuff that he does - He does hot meat sandwiches and really fancy foods, we don't do anything like that because we don't want to take business away from him, that's a big thing for Phil. We don't take from the community, we cater towards it."
Mr Pips is open Tuesday - Saturday from 11 am - 8 pm, and Sunday from noon - 8 pm. You can see more on their Instagram here.
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