Construction Update

Construction work at former George Hotel progressing well.

Matt & Emily Scott, the couple behind ‘Sopha’, the new furniture store to be opened in Highbridge confirmed this week that they are still on track to open later this year. Matt Scott said, “We have been busily working away behind the hoardings for almost 14 months and despite a few delays we are still on track to open this summer, well within the one to two year schedule we set ourselves.”

The George Hotel closed back in July 2016 and Matt & Emily Scott announced their plans in December of that year.

The building has been re-roofed and many may have noticed the start of the restoration to the Georgian frontage of the building as the scaffolding has slowly been dismantled over the past few months, the last of which was removed last week, with completion of external works due to progress during this spring.

Matt Scott explained “We have put a lot of effort into respecting the history of the building whilst making it fit for a 21st Century furniture store. All of the external walls have been insulated to a high standard and the floors of both buildings have been dug down to ensure the new store is fully wheelchair accessible. This week we have reached the first-fix stage of the electrical installation within the shop itself. We are now working towards the design of the wall and floor finishes as well as the design of the lighting systems. During spring our concentration will switch to completing the design of our first product range.”

The construction work includes a new 3,000 square foot extension as well as full refurbishment of the existing buildings. Sopha estimate that over 13,000 hours of work has been completed on site to date and there is still a lot to do yet.

“Emily and I are really proud of the progress made to the store so far. We hope it is starting to look like the new gateway store we promised when we started this project.”

“We would like to say a massive thank you to all those who have contacted us to voice their support and encouragement so far, along with all the local tradespeople and businesses that have been involved in the project thus far.”

Matt & Emily, who are well known both locally and within the furniture industry, say that they look forward to bringing a unique new furniture store to the people of Somerset. Sopha will specialise in sofas and beds but the couple have teased some other product offerings for around the home.

The couple expect to begin recruitment for positions within the startup business from late spring this year. Details will be available both online and in local press.