Rejoicing in Ripon: Sustain adds to Ripon’s diverse hospitality and leisure offer

Ripon has received a further boost to its food and drink, hospitality and leisure offer with the arrival of Sustain — a stylish organic food and drink store.

Located at the Marshall Way entrance to HALLS of Ripon, it includes a coffee shop where customers can also buy a curated selection of organic wines 🍷 that can be enjoyed by the glass on site or taken home.

Sustain also has an unexpected ingredient adding to its attraction, as the newly created terrace at Ripon’s famous department store features a recently unearthed medieval well 🕳️✨ discovered during groundworks.
To ensure public safety, the well will have a reinforced glass cover.

The opening of Sustain signals the completion of the latest phase of major regeneration and reconfiguration works at HALLS of Ripon, carried out by Ripon-based property investment and development company Sterne Properties Limited at a cost in excess of £400,000 💼🏗️.

Sustain founder Charlotte Baldwin told Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon blog:
“Our aim is to enable customers to eat with joy and feed their souls, and the space for our business that has been created here by Sterne Properties is in harmony with this.”

The chic new destination offers a wide selection of health foods, organic wines and eco‑friendly products 🌱 and caters for both sit‑in and takeaway customers.

Wellness and a Well! 💧✨
Eat with Joy, Feed Your Soul reflects a philosophy of nourishing both the physical body and the inner self — moving away from restrictive dieting towards mindful, appreciative, joyful eating.
It emphasises that food is not just fuel, but a gift that connects people, brings comfort and pleasure, and contributes to wellness of body and mind.

Sterne Properties Limited director Robert Sterne said:
“By coincidence, while we were creating a new entrance and outside seating area, we unearthed what appears to be a medieval well on the site.
With its stonework in remarkably good condition, we are installing reinforced glass for public safety and I’m sure it will be an attention‑grabbing, footfall‑generating feature for Sustain and the other businesses at HALLS of Ripon.”

The Regeneration of HALLS of Ripon 🛍️🔧

Ripon’s only department store originally operated for 50 years under the famous Philip Hall branding and later became known as Wrens, before reverting to the HALLS name in 2021.

The first phase of extensive remodelling of the Fishergate-based store was completed by Sterne in January 2024 and created space for new entrants — including some businesses that relocated from Harrogate to enjoy being part of a thriving community of independent retailers.

HALLS director Barry Cooper said:
“We welcome the opening of Sustain and the creation of the new entrance, which re‑establishes the route between the Tesco car park at Marshall Way Retail Park and our Fishergate entrance.”
He added: “Our latest development has been the introduction of smart display cabinets, which provide our businesses with opportunities to display their goods securely.”

Another vote of confidence in Ripon’s future 🌟

Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst said:
“The opening of Sustain is a brilliant vote of confidence in Ripon’s future. Charlotte Baldwin’s vision brings something fresh and thoughtful to our city centre and extends consumer choice.
It proves once again that Ripon is a fantastic place to do business and a place worth investing in. Ripon BID is here to support anyone looking to open in the city — whether that’s making introductions to landlords and agents or helping you find the perfect location.
Sustain is exactly the kind of forward‑thinking venture that shows what’s possible here, and we welcome them with open arms.”

Photographs of the interior of Sustain, Mayor of Ripon Barabara Brodigan opening the store and owner Charlotte Baldwin

Photo Credits: Sustain

New top under construction for the medieval well at HALLS of Ripon.  Photo credit: Tim Flanagan of Rejoicing in Ripon blog for Ripon BID.