Paul Curtis has done what most people wouldn’t dare — he cashed in his pensions to save a historic Coventry pub.
Paul and his wife Ellie took over The Stag and Hen on Bishop Street, reopening its doors last November. And so far, business is booming.
Paul’s community-first approach has made the pub a hit with locals. His deep ties to Coventry’s music and art scene, along with a passion for local history, have helped him reconnect the pub with its roots.
A bold gamble
Paul’s decision to invest in the pub wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. He’d been planning it for a while.
Speaking to CoventryLive, Paul said: “The final year before we handed City of Culture over to Bradford, I wanted Coventry to go out with a bang. I decided it was going to be my year of investment — that idea lit a fire in my belly.”
After reviewing his finances, Paul realised his pension funds weren’t growing as much as he’d hoped.
“I had nine or ten different pension funds, all charging me one percent. That’s ten percent in fees — and they weren’t growing my fund. I thought, ‘I can do a better job investing my money than they can.’ So I pulled it all together,” he told CoventryLive.
Spotting the gap
Paul didn’t just dive in blindly — he researched the market carefully before deciding on the Stag.
“I spent weeks researching and knew this pub could work — even though it sounds mad, considering ten pubs a week are closing in the UK,” he said.
Paul saw a clear gap in the market.
“We’ve lost the Admiral Codrington, the Grapes, the Radford, the Coachmakers, and the Motor on Somerset Road. In this small area, there was no pub. Locals had to go to the Coundon or the Pilot. For anyone living over the Sandy Lane bridge, this is now their local,” he explained to CoventryLive.
Standing out from the big chains
Paul knows he can’t compete with the likes of Wetherspoons and Stonegate on price — but he can beat them on service.
“I keep pints as cheap as I can — probably too cheap,” he admitted. “But it’s about more than price. It’s about service.”
“We make people feel welcome. We talk to everyone who comes in — ask how they are, what they’ve been up to. If it’s busy, we’ll bring out complimentary pizza. At the end of the night, we’ll order an Uber for people who need it, especially if they’re older. It’s about the little things — that’s how we stand out,” he told CoventryLive.
Bringing back community spirit
Paul believes the biggest thing missing from modern pubs is a sense of community — and he’s determined to bring that back.
“Lots of people just want a place where they feel welcome,” he said. “Somewhere they can get dressed up on a Saturday night, have a few drinks, and enjoy themselves.”
“So far, it’s working.”
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