A beloved Dublin cafe has revealed that it is set to close its doors after seven years in business due to ‘rising costs’.
The past few months months have seen a number of restaurants close in Dublin, with several claiming their closures is due in part to the 13.5% VAT rate.
Joining the increasing list of businesses announcing closure, Tallaght’s Bliss Cafe confirmed this week that it won’t be open after the Christmas period.
Located in St Dominic’s Shopping Centre, the cafe won’t be reopening after Saturday, December 21, meaning the public has just over a week to visit it for one final time.
Branding it one of the ‘most difficult decisions’ she’s ever had to make, Bliss Cafe owner Joan opened up about her heartbreaking decision in a social media post.
‘Over the last couple of years I have found it very difficult to cover costs,’ she said. ‘I have got to this point by the skin of my teeth. It’s just not sustainable to keep going.
‘I’m devastated to lose it all. I have put my heart and my soul in to running Bliss Cafe. I have grafted so so hard and anyone that is close to me knows how much I sacrificed and how much this hurts.
‘But I cannot keep going. We have built such a special little business since 2017 me and my staff,’ she wrote.
Thanking her loyal customers and staff from over the years, Joan continued: ‘I am so grateful to have met so many wonderful people and grateful to the local community who’s constant support and business allowed me to trade this long.
‘It’s been a journey filled with laughter, tears, messing and also panic stations when I have been under pressure.’
While she ‘didn’t want it to end this way’, Joan admitted that the ‘costs have gotten so high’, which she said is the reason ‘many small businesses have closed this year’.
‘Please come in to us and say goodbye. We have 2 weeks left of trading and we want to finish on a high.
‘Please support your local businesses in your community, the big chains will survive it’s the small businesses that bring something extra special in to your community. They have to work harder.
‘They sacrifice a lot more, there is more love and care put in to there business. Thank you to everyone and anyone that has supported me throughout this journey,’ the post concluded.
