The craft beer venue has now been open for nearly five years
Evelina Black
11:57, 09 May 2026
Jonathan Smallwood is the landlord of North Park Tavern(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A man from Walton had never worked behind a bar in his life when he decided to open his own bar. Jonathan Smallwood, 43, previously worked as a solicitor before following his passion for beer.
Wanting to return to full-time work after doing consultancy work part-time, he decided to open a craft beer bar called the North Park Tavern on Stanley Road in Bootle in 2021, despite having no experience in the hospitality industry.
The ECHO spoke to Jonathan about what it’s been like to run the pub for nearly five years, the community he’s built and his future plans for the North Park Tavern.
How did you get into the pub industry?
Before opening this bar, I had no experience whatsoever of working in the hospitality industry at all but it was just something I always wanted to do because I love pubs and pub culture. It started as a hobby because I’m a big beer enthusiast and I love all the different types of beer so I just thought I’d open my own little micro bar.
Apart from the fact a lot of people who work in the legal profession like to drink, there is no real crossover between law and beer so it’s been a lot of learning on the job. The best expression to use would probably be winging it but it’s going to be five years since we opened in September so I think we’re doing alright.
Has there been any big changes in those five years?
It’s much harder for people running pubs at the moment and you see the headlines of pubs closing all the time. Energy prices and the wholesale cost of beer and spirits have gone up massively so it’s much tougher to run the pub now, which I think is the most noticeable thing.
I wouldn’t say it’s affected the enjoyment because it’s still the same job, day in, day, out. It’s just that the margins are a bit tighter now.
What is your favourite thing about the job?
Very often it’s not really a job. I think anyone who has done bar work probably gets this but sometimes you’ve got a really good group of customers and you’re sat talking and you have the realisation that you’re getting paid to socialise. That is by far the best part of the job because when you’ve got a good crowd in and the banter is going it doesn’t feel like you’re at work at all.
Jonathan wanted bring a new type of venue to Bootle(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Why did you choose to open the pub in Bootle?
I was trying to look for somewhere that wasn’t already saturated with craft beer bars so Bootle stood out and it also feels like a mini town centre away from the city centre. Stanley Road isn’t just an ordinary high street so you get a good mix of people that are going to be in the area.
What is it about your local community that you love?
Most of the people who are regulars live within about 100 metres of the bar and I’ve gotten really close to a lot of them. There’s a really good community spirit around here and I’ve made a lot of good friends because we’re a very laid back, community pub and the people that come in are great.
What makes you different from other pubs?
If you come in here you’re not going to see any Carling or Heineken or any of the big brands. We cater to craft and specialist beers and we make sure we support all local businesses so we always have a beer from a local brewery. We’re completely different to all the pubs in this area so if you want a pub that’s really laid back with a massive variety of beers that isn’t the bog-standard sports bar then this is your place to go.
What is your favourite beer you currently sell?
That’s a tough one because there’s so many but we’ve actually just started getting an Austrian Alpine Lager in, which is really nice. I’m normally a pale ale man, but that’s hitting the spot at the moment. It’s called Stiegl-Goldbräu and it’s absolutely gorgeous.
The North Park Tavern will celebrate its five year anniversary in September (Image: Liverpool Echo)
Have you got any plans for the future?
I think to just carry on as we are because for me it’s been a success to get it up and running. We’ve got a great set of regulars who I’ve got to know really well and it’s become a little community pub so I’d like to continue as we are and just enjoy the fact that we’ve been here for five years.
Is there anything you would have done differently if you could?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and there’s probably a few mundane things I would have done differently like the décor and the way things are laid out but I don’t think I would have done much differently.
I’m quite happy with what I’ve done so far because opening the bar was a big risk but it was a risk I was willing to take and I’ve got absolutely no regrets whatsoever.
How are you going to celebrate the five year anniversary?
We’re going to throw a big, big party in the pub and get very, very drunk.
The North Park Tavern is located on 392 Stanley Rd, Bootle L20 5AB.