It is a full circle moment for the owner of a Southampton coffee shop who is about to take over the space where he made his first coffee.

Mettricks founder Spencer Bowman said opening his independent coffee house at a stand in Westquay "doesn’t feel real yet".

The 37-year-old was recently handed the keys to the former John Lewis Espresso Bar on the ground floor of the Southampton shopping centre.

The bar, which closed last year, was Spencer’s first foray into the world of coffee 20 years ago.

He is now excited to bring his beloved independent to the shopping centre at the start of November.

Daily Echo: Spencer Bowman Spencer Bowman (Image: Newsquest)

Spencer said: “I worked in this exact spot for John Lewis 20 years ago, so I have always been attracted to this space. I made my first cup of coffee here.

“Westquay is the shopping centre for the south, so to see this nice space empty made me sad.

“It was crying out for some comfy Mettricks chairs.”

Mettricks has branches in Woolston, Guildhall Square and Portswood, the latter only opening its doors last year.

Spencer is keen to bring the ‘living room feeling’ to the Westquay coffee stand, replicating the warmth customers know and love.

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He said: “For the first couple of months I am going to manage this café and get my apron back on. It’s critical that we get it right.

“It’s important we keep the same level of warmth and family feeling, even in the centre of a shopping centre.

“I don’t want this to be another shopping centre café, I want us to do something different.

“There’s a face to Mettricks, and it’s me and my team. Having that sense of community is important.”

Customers can expect a similar offering to other branches, but with a few new additions.

Spencer said: “Coffee is what we do best and creating living room spaces.

“Our drinks menu will be similar to what we offer at our other locations, hot drinks and cold drinks.

“But we will be adding bubble tea and fresh juices to the menu, along with a more extensive range of cakes, bakes, and pastries.

“Our main food offering will be toasted sandwiches and stacked pancakes.”

He added: “Having smaller independent creators is what customers want.

“As a Southampton boy I am proud to be opening Mettricks in the middle of Westquay.

“Sixteen-year-old Spencer never would have dreamed of this.”