Northampton town centre cafe owner says the time is now right to reopen

A popular cafe in Northampton town centre says the time is right to reopen after being closed for nearly three months.

The owner of the Matchbox Cafe in Abington Street, Bing Wan, says he wanted to avoid the chaos of the crowds returning to the town on Monday and will reopen for takeaways on Tuesday next week.

Bing told the Chronicle & Echo: "We didn't want to part of that initial rush. We had seen the build-up and it was getting busier and busier in the week before even though there were no shops open.

"It was chaotic, the queues were horrendous and the town centre was packed - we are glad we left it alone. But it has calmed down now and gone back to normal and we are looking forward to reopening."

The Matchbox Cafe is normally closed on Mondays, so it will be back open on Tuesday June 23.

"I've already had a lot of demand for our homemade bread pudding!" Bing said.

"It feels like reopening a new shop but I'm a bit nervous too. We've got a lot of support on social media and we are trying to do as much as we can to keep busy.

"But I'm a little scared about what the future might bring in the short term and long term."

A number of changes have been made to the cafe.

"There is a social distancing screen on the counter and we've set up a mini circuit, a sort of a one-way system, around the cafe for customers.

"We've also got an online ordering system through our website so people can pre-order online and come down and pick it up. You can also order takeaways in the cafe."