Risby Barn near Bury St Edmunds on the lookout for new café business after Lizzy's Coffee Shop closure

The site manager at an antique centre in Risby is looking for the right café business owner to take on the newly vacant space after the closure of a popular coffee shop.

Richard Martin, who runs Risby Barn, near Bury St Edmunds, is looking to fill the space with another café which had previously been occupied by Lizzy’s Coffee Shop.

The former eatery, which had been a constant at the barn for about 15 years, was forced to close due to personal circumstances and staffing issues.

Richard, who launched the antique barn with his wife Susan in 1986, said there had always been a coffee shop since the beginning and that the recent closure may have an inpact on the wider site.

He said: “In the short term the closure of the café will have an effect because people come from quite a distance to visit and part of the reason they come here is because of the coffee shop.

“I want to find the right person. It’s not just a question of anybody setting up shop – I could have ten or a dozen people. But I need to get the right person to work with us in what we’re trying to do here on the site.”

Aside from the closure of the coffee shop, Risby Barn is still thriving, with the most popular time being weekends, especially during spring. There are two antique centres, a garden centre and sewing centre called the Cosy Cabin as well as smaller units such as a carpenter’s workshop.

For Richard, not much has changed since he first set up the barn.

He said: “Different tenants come in with different ways of running their businesses but the main antique centre hasn’t changed and hopefully it has improved.

“We have 60 antique dealers in the two centres together and we sell all sorts of things here, from 1960s collectables right back to a Georgian chest of drawers.

“There has been a change in spending patterns. The lower-end items sell very well and the higher-end items sell okay, but the middle-end items aren’t selling as well which means people are changing what they spend their money on.”

Anybody who would like to enquire about the space should contact Richard on 07798640291.

For more information about what shops there are visit the website at http://www.risbybarn.co.uk/