The Exchange nears completion in Waterlooville as the owners look to provide a welcoming "community space"

Steph Thomas and Abdul Kalam, two of the three co-owners of The Exchange in Waterlooville, are hoping it will establish itself as a community hub and be a place for everyone. There has been much intrigue as to what the all-day venue would be like since it was announced early in 2024, and there is not long to wait before people will be able to see it in person.

Work is still underway to convert the old Natwest bank into the all-purpose cafe/restaurant/bar, with the week beginning February 24 earmarked for a soft opening. Steph said: “We would like to create a community space, somewhere that everyone feels comfortable, be it parents with toddlers, the elderly, or groups of friends on a night out.

“You can drop in, you don’t have to eat, you can just have drink. We are hoping it will be a real community space. We will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dancing, cocktails, you can pop in for a coffee, you can bring your family, we will be serving pizza as well.“

Steph and Kalam have the experience of running successful eateries. The Exchange will be joining a small group of restaurants already well established in the area, including Kassia Lounge in Denmead, Kassia in Drayton, The Pacific in Drayton, and Chandlers deli in Clanfield, to mention a few.

The co-owners have taken some of the best bits from those eateries and brought it to the new venture. Steph said: “We have brought into The Exchange all of the great stuff that we have introduced in our other businesses. We are going to have a fantastic menu, our venue in Denmead, Kassia Lounge, is probably one of the best food offerings that we have and we have tried to introduce that quality of food here.

“We have a café in Clanfield (Chandlers) where we have learnt that lattes and coffee and cake is very popular. We have a night venue in Drayton (Kassia) which is great for parties and we will introduce that in the evening here as well. The lights will go down and the music will go up.”

Nightlife is one of the areas that Steph believed was lacking in Waterlooville. She said: “There is a night life need in Waterlooville. We are not here to be open until two in the morning every day but we do want to create a night economy so people have somewhere to go.

“You can have a short taxi ride to here from home, they can leave the children at home and come out and have a few cocktails or beers, and still get home at a sensible time. We are trying to create something fun and safe.”

The Exchange was one of the first businesses to be named as part of the Waterlooville regeneration scheme. They were awarded a grant from Havant Borough Council to help with the renovation of the building and Steph and Kalam are passionate about their role in the town centre’s improvement.

Steph said: “It’s such pleasure to be awarded a grant by Havant Borough Council to support us in getting this open. Our goal is to support the rest of the shops and businesses in the town and there is a huge effort to improve the area and we are really excited about being part of that.”

Watch the video embedded in this article for the full interview and a look round the venue.

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