Manager Jenny Gribbin was 22 when she started working at the then newly opened bar – she’s still there 29 years later
Stamps Bar in Crosby Village(Image: Trinity Mirror NW2 )
On Coronation Road in Crosby, Stamps Bar has been doing its thing since 1996 – no gimmicks, no flat-screens, no pool table. Just proper pints, a loyal crowd, and the kind of atmosphere you can’t fake.
At the centre of it all is Jenny Gribbin, who’s been behind the bar since day one. She told the ECHO: “I’m the manager. I’ve been here 29 years this year. The owners have had it for 29 years as well.
“I was 22 and was working at The Liver in Waterloo and someone told me about this place opening, so I came along and I’ve been here ever since.”
It didn’t take long for Jenny to realise that Stamps was going to be something special. She continued: “When we started putting the bands on. We used to have a jam on a Saturday evening and it got really busy. It was a great atmosphere.”
While the focus on live music has scaled back in recent years – partly due to changing habits post-covid – Stamps still keeps things interesting with regular events and its friendly vibe.
Jenny explained: “We do a ‘slam jam’ once a month. We do karaoke every Friday and a quiz night twice a month. We concentrate more on our real ales, which keeps people coming. People in the area really like it.”
And the drink selection is a big part of the appeal. With a strong focus on cask and craft beers, and support from their own brewery – Republic of Liverpool Beer Company – there’s always something new on tap, alongside the staples.
Jenny said: “We have a lot of cask ales. We do six cask ales and then craft ales too, which are becoming a lot more popular now. And, of course, we have lager, cider, a lot of different bottles and a lot of different spirits.
“It’s an old school pub. It’s got that vibe – cask ales and everything.”
It’s not just the drinks that keep regulars coming back. It’s the warmth of the place – the kind that’s hard to find in chain bars or modern gastropubs. Jenny adds: “It’s nice to work for an independent company as well. They get to know you and it’s more personal. You’re just a name and number for a bigger business.
“We have a lot of regulars in the daytime and evening. They’re all really nice people – all different ages as well.”
And those people span the generations. Jenny said: “In the daytime, we get an older clientele but we get the age of 18 all the way up to 90.”
What makes Stamps truly stand out is what it doesn’t have: no TV screens, no sport, and no distractions from the good old art of conversation.
Jenny says: “That’s a part of our thing. We’ve never had tellies, we don’t do sport or football or anything like that.
“I think that culture is making a return. People like to just have background music on, sit, chill and have a chat. We stopped doing as much live music because it was getting a little quieter and we found that’s what people want to do now: talk.”
Perhaps that’s the secret to Stamps’ longevity: an authentic, community-driven pub. Jenny said: “We’ve had good staff and a good base of regulars who’ve all drank in here for years and years.”
After 29 years behind the bar, Jenny still speaks about Stamps with a quiet pride – not just as a job, but as a part of her life: “It’s been my job for 29 years and it means a lot to me.”