EVERY time you read about pubs in the paper these days it's doom and gloom – from beer sales falling to locals closing.
But for 27-year-old Stefan Moverley it's a different story. He's buying them up as long as they're down the 'Cliffe.
Recently he re-opened the Greyhound Inn on Attercliffe Road, closed for ten months.
He'd already taken over the Cocked Hat on nearby Worksop Road and it's just a year since he converted the old Sportsman, at the other end of Attercliffe, into MJ's karaoke bar.
"Attercliffe has great potential. Everyone sees it as a rundown area full of sex shops and brothels. They are here but it is a good night out in Attercliffe and people travel to come," he says.
He sees the Greyhound, owned by Marstons, as another stop on the "Attercliffe Circuit."
This is the youngsters' equivalent of the beer buff's "Real Ale Trail" around Kelham island and the lower end of the Don Valley.
But they're not interested in hops and malt, more "normal beer," lager and music.
Stefan, a former chef who trained at the Mosborough Hall Hotel, has just spent £76,000 sprucing up the Greyhound and putting in an entertainment system.
His faith in Attercliffe is shared by butcher Jack Young, who has bought four pubs on Attercliffe: the King's Head, Horse & Jockey, Station and Britannia.
Between them they now own all the pubs on the 'Cliffe.
The circuit operates on Friday and Saturday nights but it can get very quiet the rest of the week.
"There's not a lot of pubs open in the week for people to visit," says Stefan, who is shutting the doors of the Greyhound on Sundays and Mondays but is keeping the Cocked Hat open seven days.
The karaoke bar also operates only at weekends but attracts a wider age group.
He sees the redevelopment in the area as good news in the long term for his mini pub empire – and Attercliffe.
"Now that Rotherham United play at Don Valley we're also seeing business from them," he says.
"The way I look at it Samantha (his wife) and I are young.
"If the pub trade goes belly up, we can do something else. If you work at something hard enough it will pay off."
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FeaturesMore business newsMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsMore music.Gig guide.Entertainment news.The full article contains 416 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
