Save Caffe Salva from permanent closure - Dulwich

Dear all, 

We are a small, local coffee shop, based in West Dulwich (SE21 8EZ). We opened only a year and a half ago, so we are still in the process of building and securing our customer base in the area. We are very attached to helping and supporting our community by offering good quality, reasonably priced Italian coffee and products. 

We welcome parents, children, elderly and disabled customers on a daily basis, constantly striving to provide them with the most inclusive service. We represent a safe space in West Dulwich for the international community by giving them the warm welcome and quality they deserve. We are a local hub for the South London Italian community, providing them with original Italian products, a home away from home. 

The COVID-19 crisis is threatening us with permanent closure and we are in desperate need of your help to continue supporting our lovely West Dulwich customer base, to readapt our business model for the upcoming winter months. 

Caffè Salva is facing permanent closure. In March, we took the hard decision to close our doors before the start of lockdown for three months, deeming it our utter priority to protect our vulnerable customers. Our revenue was wiped out, yet we still had high outgoing bills which have completely depleted our savings. 

Since opening up again, our small size and ensuring social distancing has meant we are unable to welcome customers indoors - as a result, our customer base has been cut by more than half. We are grateful to have an outdoor terrace but the upcoming cold winter months means we will undoubtably see another drop in customer numbers. We need to quickly and effectively readapt our indoor space and business model in order to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although we have reopened and work extremely hard to provide for our customers, we are currently at deficit. High outgoing bills and low income means we are struggling to provide for our employees and to secure their future livelihoods. 

After reflecting on the issue, we have come to the decision we need to readapt our business model by providing more takeaway options and investing in new indoor furniture in order to ensure proper and secure social distancing. We also need to secure our current employees' jobs whilst opening new positions to ensure proper health and safety measures. 

Welcoming, serving and supporting our customers whilst promoting high quality Italian products directly from Italy in London is our utmost priority. We want to continue to be able to grow and develop in the area in future years to come. To do so, we need your help.