Marika's Café och Inredning

My first cup of coffee since Sunday tasted delicious on Thursday! Surprisingly, no caffine-withdrawal headaches in the meantime. A latte, beautifully made by Marika, of "Marika's Café och Inredning," a new business in Norrköping. And a delicious caramel chocolate hazelnut cake!

I first met Marika in Söderköping in October 2018 at a new business start-up course run by the town.  I was there to find out what would be involved in starting a new business in Sweden.  I was thinking of starting my homeopathic practice, having trained as a homeopath in London in the 1990's. 

Since graduating I have attended numerous other trainings and conferences and read countless books.  I've used homeopathy for family, friends and neighbors who are interested.  Recently my neighbor Ulla who walks Monty when I get home late from work asked me for remedies for her husband who was due for a hip replacement, his second.  He took remedies before and after and despite carrying some extra weight and being in lots of pain before is now doing great and has healed up faster than his doctors expected. I've also had short bursts at practicing homeopathy professionally, either on my own or as a locum for another homeopath. So, maybe now is the time, I thought.

Marika wanted to open her own café in Söderköping.  It was to be unlike the other café and the traditional konditori.  She wanted to offer healthy salads and home-made gluten-free baking, lattes and smoothies.  Marika had a vision but she was tired.  She has several children of school age and was working long hours at a café in Norrköping.  I thought back to how I felt when my children were the ages hers are now and I wondered if she would be able to do it.  Then there was the money involved in starting a new business, it all seemed like a dream that might be hard to realize.

That was October, only six short months ago.  Now Marika has her own café, beautifully furnished and decorated in shades of pink and white with fresh carnations and orchids in a light, bright, central location with free parking and outdoor seating for the summer that is fast approaching.  The café is close to the school where I work and I went there on my way home yesterday.  There was Marika, chatting to a satisfied customer, the queen of her own domain, of her own creation, her blue eyes shining.  I asked her how it had all come about.

What happened was that a few months ago the owner of the café where she was then an employee told her it was closing and she could buy it if she wanted to but she had to decide that night! She went home and told her husband and they decided then and there to buy it. Marika contacted the people at the business start-up center who put her in touch with a business consultant who helped her get a business start-up loan and here she is!  She had originally thought her café would be in charming Söderköping where she and her family live, but, this has definitely worked out for the best.  Söderköping is small and relatively dead in the winter, whereas Norrköping is thriving and bustling year round.  There are businesses, family homes, apartment blocks, a hospital and several schools near her lovely new café.

When I woke up this morning the sky was pink.  It was before sunrise.  Geese were playing on the water, screeching and honking.  It was 6am and I knew that Marika had already been up for two hours baking for her customers. There's no time to waste, time to make those dreams come true!