A NEW coffee shop has opened its doors to residents in the heart of Southampton.

The independent shop in Shirley Road boasts a selection of homemade vegan cakes and is dog-friendly.

No.329 Coffee House is open from 10am to 5.30pm from Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm on Saturday; it is also a family-run business.

Samantha Cunningham, owner of No.329 Coffee House, said: “We really wanted to create something that is different and everything here is cooked fresh.

“Our menu is small and simple and Caffe Society are supplying our coffee. We also have Biglands Bakery in St Mary’s Street supplying our bread.”

She added: “I live in the area and I have always wanted to own a coffee shop. I noticed the Co-op site had been shut down and was being split into three units, which I thought would be ideal for a coffee shop.

“We wanted to create a space for the community and beyond to come and chat and watch the world go by.

“We also seem to have generated a little bit of a vegan following and we have already had people asking where we are in Southampton.”

The coffee shop is taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint by ditching plastic and only using biodegradable packaging.

No.329 Coffee House features recycled materials as part of their interior design and caters for customers who want soya milk due to dietary requirements.

Wicki Cichon, an employee at the coffee shop, said: “We are all like a family here and I like working here because it is very welcoming.

“I have worked in a big coffee company before and it is definitely nicer being in a smaller shop.”

Alan Pink, a barista at No.329 Coffee House, said: “All of our coffee is ground fresh everyday so none of it is wasted.

“I am a former Coffee #1 manager and I left there to come here, because it is a more relaxed environment.

“We offer vegan hot chocolate in this shop and all of the sandwiches we serve here are made fresh everyday and I was on sandwich duty yesterday.”

Samantha added: “So far we have had great reviews and we will listen to customer feedback.”