'Still raw and a complete blur' as heartbroken Newark cafe owner shuts up shop

The business confirmed that all ticketed events for October will still go ahead

A quirky tearoom in Newark has announced its closure after almost five years in business. Mad Hatters is a bright and vibrant cafe on Appleton Gate in the town centre, which has an Alice in Wonderland theme inside.

The business first opened its doors in November 2019 shortly before the coronavirus pandemic, but on Friday, September 27, the owner of the business, Clare Fordham, hosted a Facebook Live announcing the closure.

She explained it had been a "wonderful" five years but "it has not been an easy road since coming back from Covid". She added that the business, like many coffee shops, was struggling.

The cafe opened for the final time on Saturday, September 28. After which she said: "I just want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who visited us yesterday on our last day in 3b Appletongate, there was so much love shown from each and everyone of you.

"I am immensely grateful for all your support over these last five years. I tried to stay as composed as best I could but yes there were tears some I hid and some I couldn’t. I’m so proud of what I’ve managed to achieve with your support especially through Covid and beyond."

The post went on to explain that there was a possibility to bring the cafe back in the future elsewhere but described the situation at the moment as "still raw and a complete blur". The business also confirmed that all of the planned ticketed events for October have not been cancelled and will still go ahead.