UP CLOSE: Meet the new owner of the Octagon, David Freer

"Look at this, when you walk out of here!" said David, opening the door to the rear of the Octagon cafe, beaming from ear to ear as he looked out towards the beach and the sea beyond.

"Having had offices in Belfast, West Sussex, Nottingham, and Shaftesbury Avenue, I can honestly say that this is the best office I've ever had."

A lifelong dream

David Freer took over the Octagon on the seafront in March this year, fulfilling a lifelong dream of his.

He said: "One of my first jobs was selling ice creams at Orcombe Point in 1979. I always thought that one day I would come back and sell ice cream on the seafront.

"In 2004, I met my wife and when we were dating she said: 'What do you want to do?'

"I said: 'I want to sell ice creams on the beach,' thinking that she might run a mile!

"But her response was: 'One day, you'll do that.'

When the dream became a reality

David asked the previous owner if he would be willing to sell every year for the past two decades - and just five months ago, he received an unexpected phone call...

"About 20 years ago, I bumped into the owner of the Octagon, who was the same guy who employed me back at Orcombe Point back in 1979. I asked him if he wanted to sell the Octagon - then, his response was no.

"For the last 20 years, every year on my birthday I sent him a message, and it simply said: 'Hi Bernard, it's David Freer - don't forget me.'

"In March of this year, I was sat with my wife in the living room at home, having been retired for four years, enjoying life and my freedom, and my phone went. I picked it up, and in big, bold letters it was Bernard!

"When I answered it, he said: 'Hi David - I know you've been pestering me for 20 years, but now the time is right, and I'm ready to move on.'

"So we met up back in March, agreed the price, and very quickly my vision for what I wanted to create here started.

"My lucky number is three, and I am now the third owner of the Octagon! This building was also built in 1964, and my birth year was 1964."

Changes made

David kindly let us into the back of the Octagon for a behind-the-scenes glimpse.

He continued: "We've kind of changed absolutely everything now, apart from the ice cream.

"The changes we've made are, first and foremost, we used to have a filter coffee machine here, but now we've got an Italian espresso machine - we can do all the coffees, and all the syrups that anyone would want.

"We now offer cakes, a brilliant chunk pasty, sausage rolls, a Snowshock Slush Puppy, and all these are things that the Octagon has never done.

"We also offer a brilliant cheeseburger, hot dog, naked fries, loaded fries (with cheese, peppers, and onions), filled rolls with tuna and mayo, cheese and pickle, and we also do bacon baps.

"The other thing we've also changed to meet the needs of locals and holidaymakers is we've now extended our trading hours from 8am-9pm seven days a week.

"Other things that are really popular that we do are hot chocolates, and we do an iced coffee.

"We do dog ice creams, plant-based ice creams for vegans.

"The first company to sell ice cream in Exmouth was the Forte family - and they used to own the building opposite when it was Forte's cafe.

"In the 1960s, they used to sell candy floss, from an original candy floss machine. That machine is now at the Octagon. We make our own candy floss using the same machine on a daily basis, and sell a lot of it!"

What makes Exmouth special

Father to seven children, David was born and raised in the town. He left in 1986 to start his retail career, and returned in 2004.

"What I like about Exmouth is that you've got the beach on your doorstep, Woodbury Common up the road, and I for one even before I had the Octagon, I was on the beach every day walking or running, and you never tire of the view.

"My grandparents were hoteliers - I always wanted to do something for Exmouth, to put something back into the community. A few years ago I was a special constable, and also a school governor at Marpool Primary School.

A family business with a bright future - and the influence of generations past

"My mother, who was called Edwina, and was my absolute rock, passed away in 2012. She loved children and had five kids of her own - in memory of her, so that I feel she's parted of what we created here, the smallest ice cream we provide is called a 'Weenie'.

"It's a small one-scoop ice cream for children from nine months up to about three or four, and it's named after my mother who everyone called 'Weenie'.

Speaking about his Austin 1800 parked out front, he said: "My grandmother bought me this car in 1979, and it was the first car I ever owned. Here I am, with my grandmother next to me, and my mother the 'Weenie' ice cream.

"I'm planning on staying around until one of my seven children decide the time is right for them to take on an office with a view.

"The previous owner had it for 50 years; my ambition is to have it for just as long, in the family name."

New to Exmouth? You can find David's unique octagonal cafe here on Google Maps.

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