After months of speculation about the future of a café in Marlow’s Higginson Park, a local businessowner is reopening it this week – and is counting on community support to keep it going.

The Resolute Café departed from the popular Thames-side park last winter, with its parent company confirming a withdrawal beyond the off-season when it filed for liquidation back in April.

Since then, the site – nestled beside the newly-refurbished and colourful playground between the river and the high street – has sat empty with no sign of a new tenant setting up shop.

Until now, that is. As is often the case, local hopes were pinned on an independent business succeeding The Resolute instead of a big chain like the Costa that once occupied the unit, and such promise has been realised in the arrival of the Little Green Boat Company, expanding from its waterborne base at the edge of the park to offer refreshments and seating in Higginson Park year-round.

Signs for the café – following in the footsteps of the company’s two other hospitality expansions in Maidenhead and Staines – only appeared in the window a few days ago, but, as he gears up for an opening today, Saturday, August 10, founder Will French said excitement from residents has been off the charts.

The 37-year-old, who grew up across the border in Berkshire, brought the small boat hire business to Marlow four years ago and, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, found himself reliant on the “immediate support” readily provided by locals to keep it afloat.

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It was a no brainer, then, when he was given the chance to work with the Buckinghamshire and Marlow Town Councils to makeover the space as part of an ongoing collaboration that will expand, contract or adjust as needed based on popularity and public feedback.  

From today, the new café will serve reasonably priced summertime fare from ice creams and coffees to hot dogs, waffles and paninis from 8:30am to 6pm (hours that are also subject to adjustment based on demand) and provide dogwalkers, families and, yes, boaters with quick bites to enjoy in the town’s most scenic green space.

Will said he has been “blown away” by the amount of people inquiring about the new venue this week, especially in the absence of any announcement on social media – admitting that it spells good news for the future of the decidedly community-centric coffee shop.

“Our team have been working day and night since Monday to get everything ready in time, and they’ve can’t go anywhere in their uniforms at the moment without something stopping them and asking them what the menu will be and what the opening times are – one young guy was even accosted in ScrewFix the other day!

“I think it’s really important to gear the café towards local people rather than tourists – they’re who will keep us going through the winter, so we want to build this new place around them. If we can help it, we don’t want to just be a seasonal pop-up. Hopefully, it could turn into something quite special.”

The new Little Green Boat Company café is open for business in Higginson Park between 8:30am and 6pm today. Make the most of the sunshine and get down there to try it out for yourself!