Opening in York later this month, a unique new rum shop will welcome those “who want to unleash their dark side”.
Villains Rum is known for its villain-themed, York-inspired rums, which pay tribute to some of the city’s most notorious figures.
‘The wickedly delicious rum brand’ has grown a large presence both online and within the Shambles Market over the last year, but they’re now expanding into a permanent home on Little Stonegate.
Asgard, the previous occupants of the Little Stonegate building, moved out in July, after five years of trading.
It specialised in Viking and Norse-themed clothing, jewellery and reenactment supplies.
New tenants Villains Rum is part of the same company as Fairytale Gins. Launched six years ago, it draws inspiration from story of the Cottingley fairies.
The York shop will sell flavoured rum, along with Villain merchandise, and ‘last chance to buy’ offers on some discontinued favourites. Fairytale Gin will also be on sale.
Immersive experience
As part of the brand’s new chapter, Villains Rum have teamed up with Deathly Dark Tours of York to offer an immersive experience for their villain visitors.
The shop will offer guided tours, where customers can learn the captivating side of the city’s most infamous villains, whilst sampling their inspired rum pairings.
YorkMix spoke to the owner, Marie Harris, who told us a little bit about how the tours will look. “It’ll be an opportunity for people to come into the shop in small groups and learn about the history and try our rums,” she said
“Also towards the end of the tour, they’ll have the opportunity to become an official York villain. So it’s part of the initiation process, they will be asked to say an oath and become an official York villain.” Marie revealed.
Villains Rum was born after Marie and her partner James Harris moved closer to York, “We’re originally from a village called Cottingley, then moving to York, we were inspired by the darker side of history.
“This made us come up with the Villain’s Rum as the concept for the rum brand. And people really enjoyed that, not only the experience of tasting the rum and the flavours that we were coming up with, but the connection that we had with the historical side of the dark side of York.”
Villains Rum highlights real villains that once walked the streets of York, including Dick Turpin, Guy Fawkes, and Erik Bloodaxe.
Each flavoured rum taps into the character’s history. “The Guy Fawkes rum is chilli spiced – he’s got a little bit of heat,” Marie said.
After six years of working on Shambles Market, Marie looks forward to homing in on their new location.
“The market has been an important part of our business growth, we have a responsibility to make our market awesome, and a lot of the other traders there work hard to give the market a great reputation.
“The nice thing about having a shop in addition to the market, is we can do more product. The market is really hard work, massive respect to any market traders, because you are there from six in the morning until six at night.
“You have to unload the van and my poor husband must lift 100 cases of rum and gin on his own to the market at Christmas, but it’s not without its rewards.” Marie revealed.
The idea of a shop had been on Marie and her partners mind for over two years, but finding the right one was crucial.
“It’s been an idea that’s been stewing, then when we introduced the Villain’s Rum just over a year ago, that really gave us more meat on the bones, as to what we want the shop to be.
“It’s just been looking for the right property, making sure that it’s going to have the right concept. The shop has a beautiful front. We can do a lot with the window display, however, we are part of the York Villain Society, so we are quite closed in.
“We only want villains to come into the shop, we’re not interested in heroes.” Marie told YorkMix.
The shop will open it’s doors to customers on Sunday 27 October, just in time for spooky season, with tours beginning Saturday 2 November.
For more information, check out their website here.