A 19-YEAR-OLD woman from Bigrigg has decided to take the risk and open her own café... and has her fingers crossed for the future.
After going through a rough time in her personal life, Abby Roper put her dreams into action to start her own business.
Abby's Café is set to open on King Street around May 20, and will serve items such as homemade cakes, sandwiches, paninis, baguettes, toasties, soup, jacket potatoes and quiche.
There will also be afternoon teas including tray bakes, tea, coffee and various other drinks as part of a menu which aims to ensure the café keeps its local roots.
Abby discovered a gap in the Whitehaven business market and decided to go ahead with her plans: "I decided to open a café as there isn’t much like this in Whitehaven, that has both a takeaway and sit-in option."
The 19-year-old wants to keep the traditional vibe of a cafe but ensure it is a 'friendly and nice place to relax'.
There are still some last minute touches to be added to the café before it is ready for the public. "Before we open we have a few things to do, we have a new floor to add to the modern look, and we need to lay out our tables."
Abby wants to keep the laid back approach to ensure the stress of a growing business does not become overwhelming... especially at such a young age.
"For now I am just going to play it by ear, and see what happens," she said. "We would consider extending opening times and looking at main meal options - however this isn’t set in stone. We need to focus on making the café the best it can be for now."
Abby's Cafe will celebrate big events such as Father's Day and the Jubilee Weekend with afternoon teas. Abby is hopeful such promotions will be popular, with a number of bookings already coming in.
The Facebook page for the café has run competitions to get everyone excited for the grand opening, with prizes such as 50 per cent off.
In terms of how the establishment will look and feel, Abby is remaining tight-lipped about the interior, and wants to reveal the transformation herself closer to opening.
The café is currently on the look out for recruiting staff via its Facebook page.
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