Chester's newest independent bookshop and wine bar will officially open its doors next weekend.

The new business, Chapters, located on Watergate Row South, will launch on Saturday 21 March from 10am, offering visitors the chance to browse a wide selection of books whilst enjoying wine or coffee.

Long-time best friends Megan Nicolaides and Megan Yapp are behind the venture, bringing experience in marketing and accountancy - with Yapp also running an accountancy business on the Wirral.

Speaking to Chester Nub News last year, the pair revealed how opening their own bookshop had long been a shared ambition.

"This was something that had been brewing forever," they said.

Inspired by a desire to create the kind of place they would personally enjoy spending time in, they said they hoped the addition of a bar would encourage customers to linger a little longer.

"When you go to a bookshop, there's this gorgeous, magical feeling," they previously told Nub News. "I guess the bar creates a reason to stay longer.

"Why wouldn't you have a bar in a bookshop?"

Download our Nub News App!

- It’s FREE and available now
- Breaking news notifications
- Your Town in Your Pocket

Plans for the business were first reported by Chester Nub News in April last year. However, the project faced an early setback when the pair's original premises fell through, delaying their launch while they searched for another location in the city.

They eventually secured the Watergate Row premises in December.

Describing themselves as introverts, Nicolaides and Yapp said they wanted to create a welcoming and relaxed space for others like themselves, while also building a sense of community.

"We wanted to create a place for people like us," Nicolaides added.

"I think it takes a brave person to go to a bar on their own, but hopefully this can be somewhere that doesn't feel intimidating - somewhere relaxing and homely."

You can find out more here, or via Chapters' Instagram.