The owners of a new wine bar are hoping to bring a "neighbourly vibe" to town.
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Having worked in hospitality most of their lives, Leigh Oliver and partner Verity Abrams moved from Bathurst to Orange in late 2019 with one goal in mind; open a place they could call their own.
The Covid pandemic put a pin in those plans for a while, but a few months of hard work and dedication have resulted in the couple being able to open Hey Rosey bar on Friday, January 27.
"It feels like we've emerged from that and kicked into gear to get something happening," Mr Oliver said.
"I moved out here from Melbourne which is filled with lots of neighbourhood wine bars. We wanted to bring a lot of that flavour into how we're doing this one."
Located at 301 Summer Street, the pair approached the landlord in June last year and shortly after, gained DA approval. Having ticked a few more boxes in the months after, they were finally able to start building works at the beginning of November.
"We obviously had tradies for electricity and plumbing, but everything else has been done by us," Ms Abrams added.
"It's been a very full on couple of months working on it. It's been hard work, but worth it."
She said the goal of the bar was to bring a comfortable feel to patrons.
"We wanted it to be a place that felt almost like our living room, nice neighbourhood, wine bar vibes. It almost feels like having people over," she said.
"We're feeling very excited."
With the bar licensed for 20 people, Mr Oliver hopes that the limited number of guests results in an intimate feeling.
"There weren't many places in town that you could actually sit at the bar and everything about this space revolves around that concept. It's just like a kitchen island or big family table. There's also some cosier spots towards the back," he said.
"The idea of having some locals and regulars, an expanded family is the idea behind it.
"We're here to do everything you want to do; anything from little glass or snack in the afternoon to some after dinner snacks and drinks."
The bar will open on Friday from 3pm and will run five days a week, being closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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