Save Sweet Charlie's

Aim

Save Sweet Charlie's. We need the community's support to keep Sweet Charlie's open and trading. A bright and colourful family friendly cafe

The Mission 

To Save Sweet Charlie's. We set off pre Covid with the vision to create a fun and colourful café that specialised in serving fun foods like Crepes and Waffles plus many savoury items. Although with Covid lockdown happening, it didn’t deter us from continuing with our project. But we didn’t count on the heavy increase in the costs of ingredients and products plus the rise in bills, we have come up against in these tough times. As well as the usual learning curves of opening our first business, we had to learn at the same time as everyone else did, to cope with this crisis. We can see that if we can get over this hurdle that we could survive for many years to come. 

We are reaching out as we didn’t want to give up without a fight and wanted to give the opportunity for those that love what we do, to help us get through this and fight another day. We want to grow the business, but we are stuck on a level of keeping it alive rather than focusing on evolving it and moving forward. There are also many people on this island that are becoming aware of us, and this is also to help spread our name to those that haven’t visited yet or yet to intend to.

About us 

Sweet Charlie's started with an idea as the concept of a late-night café for families and friends to attend. We are a husband and wife team, who are both passionate to help create good times and memories to as many people as possible. 

My husband, David has 22 years of hospitality experience, and many will know him for working at lots of popular places across the south coast including his birthplace on the Isle of Wight. He has always been driven to create great atmospheres and experiences at the places he has worked at or managed.

Myself, Charlie has always been driven by providing great customer service and is very community orientated with a working background in retail and hospitality. Also helping to set up and run a community café to help and work with those most vulnerable within society for 5 years before setting up Sweet Charlie's. 

Against all odds

In early 2019, I started by creating gift bouquets. This was a hobby and a creative outlet for me and it became very popular. We continued this over lockdown to give the ability for people to buy gifts for loved ones locally, that we would deliver on special occasions. We have always admired the building that we have at 21-22 High Street, Newport and before setting up the business we both loved the cultures we experienced on the mainland and abroad and felt strongly that we wanted to create a community for not only day trade but for evenings too.

We were due to take the lease on 1st April 2020, and as you know we hit an unknown immediately with lockdown due to Covid. At first, it seemed like an advantage as we had the time to get the building ready but over time it has shown major effects that are proving tough to overcome. Material price increases and shortages, equipment shortages. Also, banks shut their doors too. It’s been far from an easy ride. We really wanted to create a beautiful, bright and vibrant place for people to visit after such a dark and confusing time.

By Grace alone, against all odds we managed to open our doors to the public on the 28th May 2021. It was greatly received by the public and we had an amazing summer following restrictions currently in place at the time with staycationers.

It was a whole new team and concept for the Island, and we learned a lot in that first summer. Even down to the right equipment to purchase.

Then we were all hit with Omicron, which for us and the whole of hospitality trade was hurt again. With families having long awaited Christmas celebrations with the loved ones threatened by the new variant. Which understandably made people fearful to come out or were under self-isolating protecting the wider community. 

We remember thinking to ourselves that if we can get through this, then we could make it through anything.

Then due to many events in the world such as the war in Ukraine that started in early 2022 resulted in constant price increases on ingredients, equipment and products. Then the major hike in utilities prices. 

Even with being up against all of this. In 2022, we won 2 awards. A Bronze Award from The Red Funnel 2022 Awards for Best Newcomer and Best Vegan Friendly Café Award from LUXlife.So we know we must be doing something right.

Why Sweet Charlie's?

I appreciate strongly that we are not the only business or people going through this and we don’t think we are more important than any other business, but our treasured customers have asked that we do this as so many don’t want us to go. It seems like a high ask when everyone is also dealing with their own utility prices at home, but we want to give people the chance to help if they can. This has been the hardest thing to do, to ask the community that we need help.

We want Sweet Charlie's to be a beacon of light, hope and joy in an ever-changing world.

I feel it is important for families, children and individuals to have somewhere to go to create memories and to be an Independent local business that does not fall victim to this crisis. Already at Sweet Charlie’s we have provided work experience for those with learning or mental health disabilities. We want to be an all-inclusive place to come to, plus catering for those with speciality diets and to work as a community to get through these present times. 

Nothing is impossible 

Creating a business and this crowdfunder page has made us dig deep as to what are motivations are and is it worth all the stress, hardworking, blood, sweat and tears. 

I myself come from a troubled background, no family, lived on the streets, written off by society and made to feel like a hopeless cause. I know I am one of many and that it is a cycle that is still being repeated across the country to this day and I want my journey to give hope to those currently in it. 

I want to give people hope that with love, hard work and helping others. Nothing is Impossible! Along the way, just loving people where they are in life. As I previously said, working in a community cafe with people of all ages and backgrounds, I found one of the biggest battles for many was loneliness. 

It has been tough starting a new business in such difficult times and at times I have been overwhelmed and have struggled but I am fully committed and a fighter. I am not willing to give up on this without a fight. 

If we can balance the books with the knowledge, support and wisdom we now have then I really want to concentrate on developing Sweet Charlie's to be a hub, to work with local services to build a better and thriving community. 

I have developed such a cute little fan club who will be sure to pay me in hugs when they see me, and I want to see them grow. 

What Went Wrong

We are in this position due to not raising our menu prices soon enough with ever increasing costs and becoming VAT registered. It also took a while to get the staffing levels correct for the demand of the business at the beginning. Plus, we didn’t have an informative enough accountant before.

What are we doing currently

We are reviewing our out of season opening hours to reduce costs. Soft Play has been added increase footfall for parents with small children. We have received lots of advice from fellow business owners that are helping to advise us through this. We are checking our suppliers’ costs weekly to ensure we are buying in at the right price. We also now have a new accountant that has a clear eye on our business, and he says that if this crowdfunding project is successful that we will be in a better position to move forward. Then we can focus on streamlining and evolving the business.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Kindest regards from Charlie, David and the team at Sweet Charlie's

This project closed unsuccessfully on 6th February 2023