Cosy bistro or snazzy new shop? You decide!

Now he is asking local people what they would like to see on their high street, as he tries to decide exactly what the former vape shop should be turned into.

Alan Owen, 62, bought the old shop on Waterloo Road for £70,000 back in December.

He said: “I want the locals to have a say in what it’s going to be, because it has been so many failed businesses before. Most people I’ve spoken to have been saying they would like to see a bistro or cafe bar where they can sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee - without having to pay these inflated prices.

“I have been told that the building used to be a male and female public toilet block, with an archway in the middle, and the gables are the original from when it was first built.

“I would like to bring some life back into the area. It seems a bit depressing, with so many shops closing down. There’s a big space there where people can gather. I want to bring that continental feeling back to Waterloo Road, like it used to be.”

Whatever residents would like the former vape shop, which is located just next to Blackpool South rail station, to be turned into, making a suggestion could not be simpler.

Be it a bargain bistro, a cosy cafe or snazzy shop, people are welcome to post their bright ideas into a red post box, which can be found at the front of the building.

Alan, who lives on Braithwaite Street and manages hotels abroad, said he is also keen to learn more about the history of the building, which he developed a fondness for 12 years ago.

“I had been looking at that place for a while,” he said. “I was in Blackpool 12 years ago and it caught my eye then as a boarded-up building, and I thought I would like to buy it, but the opportunity never came about.

“I feel like I have made great strides in getting this building and I can’t wait to get a business started.”