A much-loved Swansea cafe has made the difficult decision to close its doors for good due to costs which the owners said were spiralling out of control. Coffee and Crumbs has been a popular fixture of the Brynhyfryd community since it first opened in September 2019, with many attending its Eaton Road base through the years to enjoy cooked breakfasts, a coffee, cake or community get-together.
It was launched by Sharon Barry and her husband Colin, and grew over the years to the point where ten staff members now work there. But, despite it being so popular that the cafe has had to turn away customers on a daily basis, the duo have had to make the tough decision to close for good on Saturday, April 29, because they say they simply cannot keep up with the huge spike in energy bills.
Electricity costs have risen from £500 to £2,500 a month, whilst gas bills have risen from £170 to £1,000 a month, which, together with a rise in the cost of food, is making it virtually impossible for the business to stay profitable. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
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Mrs Barry explained: "We can't say we're closing because we're not busy, in fact, we're too busy, to the extent we have ten members of staff. The utility bills, unfortunately, have just got the better of us. Our gas went up from £170 to £1,000 in our last monthly bill. Our electric bill went from £500 to £2,500 a month.
"Plus, with the cost of living and food prices - just oil alone, it went up from £17 a drum to £40 a drum, then you have the wages. I know people are coming in thinking: 'How are they closing?' because we are thriving and turning people away, but you have to be like that just to cover the wages. We would have closed a long time ago if not for that."
The cafe did try to avoid the decision to close in the first instance, instead shutting on some of its quieter days of the week in a bid to reduce costs, but the owners still found that, despite closing for two days, they were paying more for gas.
Mrs Barry added: "I'm devastated. We spoke to our accountant and he told us, 'I can't tell you what to do, but it's losing money'. I only came out of hospital recently after a cancer operation, and I have had to make that decision whilst recovering. I had always wanted to open a cafe. I was made redundant from an old job and me and my husband decided to do it.
"We did it slowly over three years. It was going to be just a small place for coffee and cakes in the community. My husband had seen a lot of elderly people in the community who had lost their wives and it would just be a place where they could go, but we created a monster!
"We started doing breakfasts and what everyone wanted like Christmas lunches, comedian evenings, and something for the local community who didn't want to go to the pub. We're so popular that we can't keep it open - because the busier you are, the more staff you need, the more food you have to buy. If we stayed at coffee and cakes, we may still be here, but maybe not, as people may not have come to that.
"We've had a message from one of our regulars asking why don't we open as a little sandwich and coffee bar and they'd still come. Maybe that's something we can look at in future, but at the moment it's just too raw. Loved it all. I loved it through the good times, the hard times, everything. We've got our regulars who come in every single week and have done for three years, I'm going to miss them all. I'd like to thank everybody who has supported us, old and new."
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the cafe told customers: "Sadly I have to post this and it has been taken with a lot of thought and professional advice. Our vision for Coffee and Crumbs was for it to be a small, community-based, welcoming, friendly meeting place, it became that and so much more for which we are extremely grateful but our success has almost been our downfall as costs have spiralled beyond our control.
"It is with extreme sadness that we will be closing our forever busy doors at 3.30pm on April 29. We would like to thank all our amazing customers for their continued support, we have made some truly amazing friends along the way. We will never forget all of your kindness and support through difficult times. Also, I would like to thank all our wonderful staff for all their loyalty and support and for their total understanding in the decisions we have made. You have all been a big part of our journey and made coffee & crumbs the success it has been but it’s not the end of the road for us as we are friends for life. Hope you will understand this isn’t a decision we have taken lightly. Thank you all."
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