A Shrewsbury caf\u00e9 owner is donating the profits from his first day of trading after moving his business to the Darwin Shopping Centre to the Philippines Disaster Appeal.<\/p>\n
Durmus Bozdogan, 38, has run his business Aleyna\u2019s Caf\u00e9 at the Riverside Shopping Centre but is moving to larger premises in the Darwin Centre to accommodate an increase in trade.<\/p>\n
And with the caf\u00e9 due to open within the next week Durmus, who hails from Turkey, says he wants to do something to help the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI\u2019m really pleased to be moving to the Darwin Centre. I have been in Shrewsbury for more than 10 years now and we opened Aleyna\u2019s Caf\u00e9 at the Riverside more than six years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusiness has gone really well and we have many regular customers who all say they will be coming to the Darwin Centre to enjoy their coffees and cakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to celebrate opening our new caf\u00e9 in the Darwin centre by raising funds for a charity and that\u2019s why we chose to do something to try and support the poor people of the Philippines.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will also be having free tasting of our cakes and savouries so new customers know what we offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, getting the new caf\u00e9 just right is something of as family affair for Durmus who admits he needs the approval of his seven-year-old daughter, after whom the caf\u00e9 is named, before he adds new products to the caf\u00e9\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cAleyna likes to sample everything we sell and is particularly fond of our chocolate cake! She also likes to have her say about how the caf\u00e9 looks, she can be very demanding and has an eye for detail.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe would soon have something to say if she didn\u2019t like something we put on the menu. She likes to put forward her own ideas for new paninis, toasties or sandwiches and, of course, cakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin Lockwood, Manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said: \u201cAleyna\u2019s has quickly become a Shrewsbury institution with many very loyal customers and we\u2019re delighted to see it opening in the Darwin centre and with Aleyna\u2019s input I\u2019m sure it will continue to be very popular<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pleased to have been able to celebrate a number of new openings recently and that shows what a vibrant place Shrewsbury is.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the new Aleyna\u2019s Caf\u00e9 is also good news on the jobs front as Durmus says he will be looking for a new full-time employee very shortly.<\/p>\n
Durmus, who also has a second daughter, Millie, four, said: \u201cI have two members of staff who are staying with us and moving across from the Riverside.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first we need to see how things go but I am sure we will have to take someone else on and it will be a full-time role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am just pleased to be moving to the Darwin Centre. Aleyna\u2019s Caf\u00e9 is really established and popular with many regulars and I\u2019m sure we can go from strength to strength at our new site.\u201d<\/p>\n