As another year ends, so another chapter closes for Dawn Long, as she prepares to leave Reddits Cafe.
As another year ends, so another chapter closes for Dawn Long, as she prepares to leave Reddits Cafe.
Long, who opened the cafe in 2006, has mixed emotions about leaving the business, and Grahamstown. "On one hand it has been lots of responsibility, but on the other, people who have supported me have become special to me, so I'll miss them,"said Long.
"I am nervous about leaving behind the support system I have here." Long said there had been fun times over the years. "I'll miss the positive energy of the town and the diversity of the people," she said. As she prepares to move on, Long already has plans for the road that lies ahead.
She said she'd like to pursue something new, having been in the cafe industry for five years. "I feel I have learnt all there is to learn there," said Long, who is considering returning to teaching, or finding employment as a psychological counsellor. And she's looking further afield. "I would like to return to the Middle East, hopefully Israel." Long said.
When Long closes the doors on 18 December, the shop will be changed completely, she says. "The only thing left behind will be the staff and the coffee machine." Long thanked her customers and those who had embraced her and her family when she started out, and throughout her stay in Grahamstown. The shop will be taken over by Marinda Stevens, who will open for business in the first week of February.
