A Newport-on-Tay coffee shop owner is keeping staff at the heart of decisions around standing down due to her battle with cancer.
Mary-Jane (MJ) Duncan, owner of Kitschnbake coffee shop, is looking into options to turn the popular Newport café into a community and staff run business.
MJ first looked at potentially selling her coffee shop over two years ago after being diagnosed with metastatic, triple negative breast cancer.
But now she has decided to re-approach the idea by communicating with staff and customers about the potential of a community run coffee shop.
MJ said: “We’ve never actually wanted to sell the café but realised rather quickly, once my treatment started, we weren’t being fair to the staff, our family and our customers.
“Having just invested a considerable amount in a refurbishment and drawn up business plans for taking the brand forward, the sad reality was, it couldn’t be me doing it, not if I was to have a chance to focus on my treatment and recovery.
“Being diagnosed with metastatic, triple negative breast cancer meant I was going to be undertaking treatment for life and even I have to draw a line somewhere.”
Supporting staff
But when the Covid pandemic hit, this idea was quickly discarded in order to support staff members and keep the business afloat.
“When Covid forced us all into lockdown any notion of selling was abandoned,” said MJ.
“It became abundantly clear if we were to secure the future of the business and security of the staff, it would need to be us keeping the business afloat.”
Potential new community venture
Now the business owner is looking at the potential of turning the coffee shop into a community/staff run business to ensure staff and customers alike can continue to enjoy the establishment in the same way it has always been run.
MJ added: “The staff are Kitschnbake.
“I might be the owner, I might have had the original idea to open the business but we simply wouldn’t be here without the amazing team, our wonderfully supportive landlord and the cracking community we are lucky enough to be a part of.
“Selling the business may still have to happen, as the whole situation is time sensitive, but I want to at least investigate this option and if, in the end, it isn’t possible we can at least say we tried.
“At that stage we’ll hope for a like minded person with a desire to take over an established, turnkey business.”
So far, the business has not made any decisions on how to take this new approach and are looking into various options.
How would it work?
Kirsty Thomson, founder and chief executive officer of the Circle Dundee, which is a a hub for charities, social enterprises, community groups and socially aware businesses in Dundee, explained how a community-based coffee shop could work.
Kirsty said: “Kitschnbake has been part of the community for several years and there are many loyal customers and supporters across Dundee and Fife.
“There is now a chance for the community to really get behind this amazing family business led by Mary-Jane.
“A community crowd fund could support existing staff to purchase the business.
“There are options around becoming a social enterprise or co-operative.
“These organisations are there to serve the community and can give staff a stake in the interests of the business and the future development.
“There are various incorporations and legal structures that the staff and those interested in the community can explore to support the future of Kitschnbake for the existing staff team and that keep them at the heart of the decision making and future.
“If there is a need from the community, The Circle would be happy to explore options with those concerned and provide advice on what can sometimes be a complex decision-making process.”
Staff support
Various members of staff at Kitschnbake have highly supported MJ’s decision to look into this new business venture.
Front of house supervisor, John-Luke Harris, 25, has been working at Kitschnbake for over two years and says the coffee shop is different from any else he has worked in.
He said: “MJ’s priority has always been to cater to the staff and the community.
“I have several other jobs but I still work here just because I quite enjoy it, the atmosphere and the staff and I have a lot of banter with the ladies in the kitchen.
“You don’t get that in every work place, certainly not any hospitality job.
“It’s what’s going to be best in the long-term and how we’re going to support the staff as best we can so it’s quite reassuring.”
‘It’s always been about looking after staff’
He added: “If it was all about the money then they would just sell up and turn it into houses or something as I’m sure it would.
“It’s a valuable area and people would invest in it so it’s always been an option but it’s always been about looking after the staff which is good.”
Staff member Melissa Truscott, 33, who has worked with MJ for several years, said MJ’s approach to making the decision was unsurprising after she made a post about the possibility of a community run business on Facebook.
“I think MJ going down the route of having a community ran business is completely how she is and completely how she always will be,” Melissa said.
“It doesn’t surprise me because it makes the most sense, I know that even before she’d toyed with the idea of selling it initially it’s not been easy for her to decide who the right person is for the café.
“I think going from the responses on the post, everyone seems to be saying this is exactly what should happen, this makes the most sense.”
‘A second home’
She added: “Over lockdown, MJ should have been shielding but it’s just a part of who she is, she just wants to look after everybody so I think if this passes on then that’s the right decision.
“For me it’s just like a second home or a living room which is how MJ first described it, she wanted it to feel like somebody’s living room.
“That’s what it’s like you come in and you ask ‘do you want a cup of tea?’ obviously professional as well but it’s just nice.”