Located at number 83 Arbroath Road in the 60's was The Haparanda Coffee Bar, or "The Hap", as it was known as by the local teenagers it attracted. There was a confectioner shop area at the main entrance and the cafe area was downstairs. The window display reflected both aspects of The Hap with half the exhibits being sweets and half being record covers of the latest 60's bands like The Kinks, The Beatles, Small Faces etc. The cafe was a bit of a magnet for Dundee's trendy hipsters, as well as being a handy stopping off place for Mods on their scooters. Bands would sometimes perform there too and a lot of the cafe action was caught on film by owner Luciano Soave.Below is some footage capturing a typical night out at The Hap.
The building where The Hap was in Arbroath Road, was demolished in 1972.
This Luciano Soave isn't by any chance related to a Nick Soave originally from Carnoustie with Italian roots who owned an amusement arcade, sports shop, video shop, etc. in Perth from the 70s onwards? Brother maybe? Nick died years ago and his son runs what's left of the "empire".
ReplyDeleteNo he wasn't. I am Ciano's neiece
DeleteHi do you know where the photo archive is? would be amazing to see them again - Ciano gave me a few when he had the Washington...was going to look out more but sadly died...Pete Coutts (Hap regular) petercoutts@hotmail.com
DeleteThey may very well be connected. There were loads of Soave's in business in Dundee around this period with chip shops, sweet shops, fruit shops, bookies and so on. A pretty good bet I'd say!
ReplyDeleteAny oldies recognize some Dundee FC players including Andy Penman and Alec Stuart
ReplyDeleteHARRY ROSE
This brought back memories. I used to work in "The Hap" a couple of nights a week. Before that I used to go about three or four times a week. Your piece of film shows two of my friends dancing. It was the place to be!
ReplyDeleteThis brought back memories. I used to work in "The Hap" a couple of nights a week. Before that I used to go about three or four times a week. Your piece of film shows two of my friends dancing. It was the place to be!
ReplyDelete04 August 2009 10:09
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were you one of the beautiful girls who sold coke?(the bottled stuff!) Moe Slidders? Irene etc
I used to go to the hap on my Motor Scooter!!
My Mother used to work/go to the Hap. Her name was Isobel Burness, now Isobel Mackie, married Gordon Mackie 1965
ReplyDeleteRemember isobel and mo slidders, audrey etc
ReplyDeletehprose@telus.net
went there with sister helen who worked there. that was in 1968. met a lot of friends there. still friends today. fell in love with a beautiful girl called gail. alas still living the dream
ReplyDeleteI remember the doorman I think his name was jack never any bother. with him he would rather tell a joke than have any trouble but if you tried to cause any bother the other patrons were there to back him up and you did not want to have any bother believe me.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Hap in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteAs an apprentice electrician I was asked by the Hap management to install a light in an escape route which was off of the small soft drinks bar downstairs next to the main dancing area. I did the job ok.
Not sure where this escape route lead to?.
Someone I met a while ago said they remembered this and the light "illuminated up through a cundie" in the side street outside.
Can anyone remember this? and throw some light on it as it were!!!.
Remember a real beauty who worked there Helen Anderson black hair stunning eyes,she was paired with Anne Kennedy who was a Miss Dundee.
ReplyDeleteI used to play in an Aberdeen based beat group in the early 1960s and we would often drive down to Dundee just to visit the "Hap" and listen to the latest hits on the "new" jukebox - which hadn't yet reached Aberdeen. Happy memories.
ReplyDeleteFrom Ciano I bought a VHS copy of the Hap's old cine camera movie for £15. It was played on a loop in the Museum when they did a 60s presentation. I've since had the tape digitised to a DVD.
ReplyDeletePart of my youth . Great times .
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