COMMUTERS travelling from Stalybridge train station can now shelter from the weather with a hot drink after a café reopened after 18 months.
Owner of The Coffee Shop, Janet O’Brien, has lifted the shutters again on the facility after it closed in March 2020.
Other family issues, including a cancer diagnosis for her husband Steven, saw dates pushed back until Monday, September 27.
And she quickly got back into the swing of things with customers on the Manchester-bound platform delighted to see her.
“I’ve missed her,” said one early morning buyer after Janet opened up at 6am. Another said: “I’m delighted to see you again.”
And Janet, who admitted the early rise was a ‘bit of a culture shock,’ admitted she had concerns during the various lockdowns.
She said: “I was a little bit nervous at the very start but I saw quite a few friendly faces which brought me back.
“I was last opened the day before the first lockdown, it was a long 18 months. Every single item of stock, apart from tissues, went out of date, so it had to either given away of thrown away.
“It was a bit nerve racking. My husband was diagnosed with cancer the day before lockdown – thankfully his treatment has worked.
“So actually at the very start, lockdown was quite a good thing as I could take him to Christie’s every day without having to worry about closing the shop.
“And I did quite get used to being retired if you want to say that but we bought the business, so we couldn’t just walk away and leave it.
“We have to build it back up. We kept thinking about reopening then put it off, it was a bit of a rollercoaster.
“But I felt confident it would be the right time. We had to start from fresh again.
“The night before I reopened, I felt a combination of nerves and excitement. Now I hope things get back to normal fairly quickly, fingers crossed.”