Best New Business of the Year finalists

A RESTAURANT which has been described as serving “burgers to die for” has been nominated for the new business of the year award.

Bisley House Bar and Grill opened last year.

Formerly Toni’s kitchen, the eaterie in Middle Street near Stroud town centre, was transformed into a bar and grill specialising in burgers in May 2022.

The venue was nominated by Rebekah Barton, who wanted to flag up the quality of the food.

She said: “Their burgers and steaks and customer service are to die for! Really friendly staff and good atmosphere.”

Head chef and leaseholder Danny Smith, who is from Pembrokeshire in Wales, decided to open the bar due to his love of burgers - he once travelled for an hour and a half to Hereford just to try one.

The opportunity to run Bisley House - which hadn’t been used since the end of 2020 - came while Danny was a manager at the Fat Toni’s pizzeria in Merrywalks.

Ahead of the relaunch, Danny gave the establishment a fresh look by sanding tables, painting and changing some of the furniture.

Klang Tone Records

KLANG Tone Records is described as a “delightful” and “wilfully independent” record shop.
Klang (German for sound) Tone Records opened in London Road, Stroud in October last year.
Owner Sean Roe wanted to create a hub for music lovers in search of the obscure.
Customer Adam Horovitz nominated the shop.
He said: “A delightful new record shop in a town with two others, Klang Tone is wilfully independent and committed to the stranger stuff at the edges - just the sort of thing that Stroud should be known for.”
Sean cut his record shop teeth as a co-owner of Stroud’s Sound Records with Tom Berry.
Prior to that, he could be found selling records at fairs in London, Bristol, Cheltenham and Stroud. Klang Tone specialises in jazz, African and Latin, Reggae, punk and post punk, contemporary classical and experimental and improvised music. The shop also features an array of artworks and hosts regular experimental music performances.

The Tanning Room

THE Tanning Room has been hailed as a “welcoming” new business which offers “excellent customer service”.
The business opened its sixth branch at the Five Valleys Shopping Centre in April.
It has been nominated by colleague Jake Huggins.
Sisters Victoria Gordon and Jaine Buxton have established a chain of tanning salons in Witney, Carterton, Cirencester, north and west Swindon as well as their new Stroud store.
The salon is equipped with custom-made sunbeds using innovative light technology to help customers tan quickly and safely, as well as offering collagen light therapy to help with skin repair.
Jake said: “It is a family run company and the salon is beautiful.
“They are pioneering safe tanning by using 0.3 compliant tubes and have their own safe tanning initiative website.”
“They are an amazing company to work for, I could not ask for better employers.
“The quality of all staff and the equipment is top notch.”
Courtney Drackett also nominated the business saying it was “clean and welcoming” and that staff are “helpful and kind”.