Closing cafe ‘like losing member of family’ says mum
A MUM who was forced to close her cafe thought by many to be “the hub of the community” has compared the experience to “losing a family member”.
Charlie Allcock had run Marma Jo’s for the past 18 years – starting out on Blackwood High Street before increasing demand saw her relocate to bigger premises on Pen-y-Fan Industrial Estate in Crumlin, Caerphilly, in 2010.
But, shortly before Christmas, the 49-year-old from Tredegar finally shut the doors of the cafe (named after Margaret, Mary and Josephine – her two grandmothers and great-aunt) due to spiralling costs. She reluctantly made the decision after watching her energy bills triple to around £1,800 a month.
“We all knew it was coming but hoped that somehow we’d find a way through,” said Charlie. “Having to tell the girls I work with, ‘That’s it, we can’t go on’ was like a sort of bereavement, as though I’d just lost a family member.
“But my utility bills had gone up from £500-£600 a month to £1,800 a month. In the end it was costing me nearly £100 a day just to keep the doors open and the lights on.
“And that means making a lot of toast and coffee just to break even.”
A popular daily haunt for nearby factory and office workers, as well as truckers, tradesmen and builders, Charlie added it had also come to be regarded as a “real community hub”.
“People would come here from Crumlin and all over the Valleys every day just to see a friendly face and have a chat.
“I regarded Marma Jo’s as an extension of my kitchen, my home, and our regulars felt that. You just can’t get that same experience with any of the big chains.
“Local businesses like this are the lifeblood and the soul of these village and towns – it’s so sad that more and more are going to the wall because of everything that’s happening.”
She added that, having started out with around seven employees prior to Covid, she’d gone down to a skeleton staff of three come the final months.
“The pandemic was when trade first started to drop off and we’d cut back on everything we could until eventually there were no more pennies left to pinch.
“At the end of the day, bread-and-butter businesses like ours can only charge so much.
“Meanwhile the cost of everything just keeps going up and up.”
Nevertheless, how much Marma Jo’s really meant to its regulars became evident when Charlie reopened the cafe for a few days earlier this month.
She did it so that everyone could get together one last time and say their goodbyes over a cuppa and a fried breakfast.
“It’s really sad – my 13-year-old son would even start each day before school with those people. ‘The Early Risers Cub’ they called themselves.
“Marma Jo’s was more than just a cafe, it was an institution, a place where friendships and a sense of belonging were created. I have no idea what I’ll do now it’s gone.”