Two sisters will be serving alcoholic refreshments at weddings, parties and events across the South West, all from a mobile horsebox.
Nicola and Karen Poppy grew up in Weston before moving to Harrow, in London, but recently came back to their hometown to start a joint business venture, a mobile bar company called The Dotty Mares.
The sisters, who attended Oldmixon Primary School, were born in Weston and moved to the capital to work in the banking sector.
But the duo decided a career change was needed and ventured into an industry they have always been passionate about.
Nicola said: “We have always wanted to do something food and drink related and now our children have grown up and are going off to university, it feels like the right time.
“Rather than having a static space and worrying about the cost of renting, we thought we could do something mobile and came across a horsebox while looking online and loved the idea.
“We then had to find a company which would make the space fit our needs and by chance we found one in the Oldmixon Crescent about a five minute walk from the house we grew up in, we really have come home to make our dream a reality.”
Dotty is equipped to operate at weddings, festivals, corporate events and birthday parties.
A fully-stocked bar serving gin, prosecco and more, mainly from local distillers, has fridge space and serving facilities.
Dotty can also be rented out by the companies who stock their products for their own events.
The business is family orientated, Nicola’s nephew is responsible for the Dotty Mare’s social media while her daughter writes the website’s blogs.
Speaking about the reason behind the company’s name, Nicola said: “Dotty came because there are so many mobile stalls which are plain and boring, but we wanted to add some dots and give her a colourful look.
“The Mare part obviously stems from our Weston connections.
“We have plans to branch out into catering events, and maybe serve food and not solely alcohol.
“Overall we are very excited to see where Dotty takes us and hope this is the start of something special.”
For more information, visit dottymares.co.uk
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