THE owner of a much-loved independent cafe is hoping that Northwich’s ‘unique’ community spirit will help it thrive on the other side of the pandemic.

Abda Ltd was back in business on Saturday as customers returned for take-away drinks, freshly-baked cakes and pots of the cafe’s ever-popular houmous.

Business was booming after a ‘tough three months’, said owner Abda Obeid-Findley, who is delighted to welcome back familiar faces to the Crown Street favourite.

She told the Guardian: “So many people came out to support us which was really lovely. We had a queue all day long and it was really nice to see our customers again.

“We are lucky enough to have a good customer base.

“We have a lot of regulars who visit us pretty much every other day and I think they wanted to come and see us to try and get back to a bit of normality.”

Last weekend was the first since the most recent easing of lockdown measures, which saw non-essential shops reopen last Monday, and Abda was pleased to see the town centre looking busier.

Northwich Guardian:

It was a far cry from the beginning of lockdown, when Northwich was eerily quiet and a new uncertainty caused grave concern for businesses like Abda Ltd, which opened in May 2018.

Abda said: “The initial few weeks were stressful – we still had to pay bills, we have had to pay rent, and my staff are very important to me.

“Personally, it was nice to have some family time. I have pretty much worked non-stop for two years.

“But when it is your own business it becomes your life, so it was really nice to be back in the shop and to see customers again.”

As with other town centre businesses, social distancing measures are in place at Abda Ltd, with customer numbers restricted inside the cafe.

Abda was overwhelmed by the support she received on Saturday – and she is hopeful the Northwich community will rally together to help businesses move on from the coronavirus crisis.

She added: “I am sure Northwich will come out the other end. It’s a community here where people understand and want to support independents.

“We are very lucky to have the number of independents that we have in Northwich and I think everyone wants to get back to something like normal as much as possible, while keeping safe.

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“I think we will get there. I think we have got the community to do it. I don’t want to rush in and do too much too soon, so we will just take it step by step.”

Abda Ltd is now open from 10am to 3pm, Thursday to Saturday.

Keep up to date with the café at facebook.com/abdacoffeecakeculture

The Guardian is shining a spotlight on Northwich businesses that are returning from lockdown as part of the Backing Local Business Campaign.

If you run an independent business that is reopening and want to share your story with the Guardian, email northwich@guardiangrp.co.uk