Worksop cafe owner turns to crafts for a creative release

Pakize Kaplan, aged 41 started crocheting in 2017.

But during the pandemic, she started crafting a lot more to cope with pressure put on her business because of Covid-19.

Pakize, who lives in Worksop town centre, said: “Crocheting is the simple way to escape all the stress and take a step back.

“It has been difficult to get over the three months of the pandemic.

“We started struggling financially and psychologically.”

Pakize owns the Cafe Delight located on Bridge Street.

She and her family have owned the cafe since 2006 when they moved to Worksop from London.

Like many businesses, they have had to adapt to social distancing measures to make sure they are in line with government guidance.

“We reopened four weeks ago and we have had to make a lot of changes,” she said.

“We use an app called Atlacarte to manage pickups and deliveries now.

“We also started using contactless card payment and we removed 30 per cent of the tables to create more space for the customers.”

The cafe is taking part in the track and trace scheme and also has hand sanitizer on every table.

Pakize wants to thank the loyal customers who have continued to support the cafe during the lockdown.

As a way to reduce her stress, Pakize has spent her free time creating things with wool.

She had made dolls, accessories, newborn baby clothes, handbags, keyrings, and hats.

“I started making crocheting items simply as a hobby,” she said.

“My friends started showing interest in my items and encouraged me to start selling them.

“As I have had a lot of spare time during lockdown I thought why not start my own shop.”

Pakize started her own Etsy shop where she sells her crochet items and says she has found a lot of enjoyment from having a creative outlet during this stressful time.

You can visit her shop here.

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