Husk: Sheffield coffee shop says it may be forced to close after attempted break-in
A Sheffield independent coffee shop has said it may be forced to close after a brick was thrown through the door.
The owners of Husk coffee shop in Highfield described it as the “last straw” after a period of ill health took a toll on profits.
Husk opened in September 2022 and has gained a loyal following in the community.
However, a combination of ill health and two attempted break-ins have led to owners Jack Maloney and Sophie Graham struggling to keep the business afloat.
Jack said: “It’s been very hard to balance managing the coffee shop with looking after ourselves. We dropped everything to make it our life and it’s just the two of us who run the shop six days a week. It’s like a big seesaw.”
Over the last six months Jack said the coffee shop has been closed 30 to 40 per cent of the time because of Sophie spending time in hospital for health reasons.
As well as this there have been two attempted break-ins over the last year-and-a-half which the couple attribute to the lack of street lighting on the road.
Jack said: “We came in to open the shop last week and found our door had been smashed in. Thankfully they didn’t manage to get into the shop but it will be another repair cost which we cannot afford. It was the last straw before we set up the fundraiser after Sophie had been unwell and we fell behind on bills.”
The couple set up a GoFundMe page called Keep Husk Going with a goal of raising £5,950. So far they have raised more than £977.
Sophie said: “We always said we would only set up a fundraiser if we exhausted every other option. We have put a huge amount of our own money into the business and without help we won’t be able to keep going much longer.”
Sophie designs all the artwork and branding for the café and is giving out limited edition prints of the store front to people who donate.
She said: “We have previously sold an illustrated collection of shop fronts in Sheffield. As a thank you we are giving out a limited edition print of our shop with the smashed front available exclusively for people who donate.”
The couple said the response they have had to the fundraiser from the local community has been incredible.
Jack said: “We have been very honest about how much money we need to keep going but we don’t expect to raise the full amount. Our priority is replacing the door which cost around £550 last time.
“In the future we would love to expand our menu and offer breakfast as our lunches are very popular. However, this is not possible between the two of us and we would need to hire another member of staff to take the pressure off.
“Eventually we would also love to offer private coffee-making lessons as people are always asking for these but we haven’t had the time to do this.”
Sophie said: “We understand that Christmas is a difficult time to give. But we have been amazed at the generosity of our customers and the sense of community in Sheffield. Even if people just pop in for a coffee or donate a few pounds it will make a massive difference and keep the café going that bit longer.”
Jack added: “The sense of community is the reason I got into being a barista 10 years ago. Speaking to customers every day is the best thing about it. Now we are asking people to help us. We believe we have so much more to give the community through our coffee shop and this fundraiser will help us realise that.”
To donate to the fundraiser visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-husk-going