The owner of Bear and Eden coffee shop in Stansted has put the business up for sale to concentrate on her family.
Gemma Denman took over running the popular Lower Street café four years ago when then owners Jess and Brad Ellis – who created the venue along with Gemma, naming it after their two sons – decided to leave.
She managed it on their behalf for the first two years and then bought the business in 2020, just ahead of the Covid pandemic.
But having survived a tough few years, the single mum of three, who lives in Takeley, says she can longer dedicate the time it deserves and needs to spend more time with her children, Flynn, 12, Molly, 9, and Harri, 5.
She said the café – which has play space and toys for children, sessions for dog walkers and cyclists, and offers breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas – was growing in strength again post-pandemic.
Gemma described it as “a little gem” that she was sad to be giving up. She is hoping a budding entrepreneur can take over and take advantage of its central location and evening drinks licence to turn it into a day and night venue.
“We kept it going through Covid, which was a miracle in itself, and went from only three of us running it to now having 15 of us,” she said.
“When Brad and Jess wanted to step away for personal reasons, I said I’d give it a go and it’s been great, we have a lovely customer base, but the impact over the past two years has been enormous, constantly having to keep up with rule changes, and it has taken its toll.
“I used to bring the children up here during Covid and they were home-schooling upstairs with their teachers online while I was serving people, and it’s hard with a business like this when you have to put in a lot of hours.”
She continued: “It needs to be owned by a mum and daughter or a couple that have more time.
“There isn’t a family restaurant around here and we have an alcohol licence so it could be a great venue for that.
“We hold lots of events, like baby showers and birthdays, and it has so much potential – it just needs someone that can give it more time and hasn’t got three children to look after on their own.”
Gemma supports other local businesses such as Mini Miss bread in Saffron Walden and Dorringtons and cake maker Blakes Bakes, who supply Bear and Eden’s famously delicious carrot cake.
“This place is a little gem, so many people have said that, and it has so much potential to do so much more and I just cannot do it, it’s such a shame.
“It’s a beautiful barn that we completely gutted when Bear and Eden moved in.”
Anyone interested can contact Gemma on info@bearandeden.com
