Plant Academy bids goodbye – for now
AVEGAN cafe in Southport is closing – after just one year of bus- iness.
The Plant Academy, in the Indoor Market in King Street, is set to cease trading this Saturday, April 21.
The vegan-friendly bistro, which aims to serve feel-good food with “no nasties”, opened on April 8 last year.
Ellie Richards-Johnson, the cafe’s owner, said the closure comes after she made a “difficult decision” not to renew the lease.
The 25-year-old said that she knew the market wasn’t the ideal home for the business after just six months.
She said: “We always knew that Southport Market was not our forever home and after our first six months was done, we spent a lot of time looking for a new home for The Plant Academy.
“Honestly, it’s slim pickings in Southport and we couldn’t find anywhere we considered to be suitable within our budget.”
She said there were many reasons why she decided not to renew the lease, including increased running costs, and health issues.
But, she considers the one year of trading a success and is happy with what she has managed to achieve in that time.
Ellie, from Southport, said: “I don’t want you to think The Plant Academy has in any way failed, and in particular I don’t want you to think that running a vegan business leads to failure. The Plant Academy has smashed it this year, we’ve done amazing and have been able to pay six part-time staff members over the past year, who have become some of our best friends.”
But the closure will not be the end of The Plant Academy.
Ellie said: “The Plant Academy has not failed, nor are we saying goodbye forever.
“We have quite a few ideas of where we want to take The Plant Academy, including popup opportunities, potentially a food truck and cooking courses and retreats. This is all stuff we are going to work on when we have a little head space following leaving the market.
“Thank you again for an amazing first year in business. Here’s to many more years of The Plant Academy.”