Mad Hatters Pottery Painting Café, located on School Road, opened on April 15, 2015, and has become a staple among the community over the last 10 years with families throughout Reading.
The owner, Fiona Stevens, made the difficult decision to liquidate the shop after years of insolvency.
She said: “It’s a very sad day. I opened the business with my ex-husband in 2015 and we’ve had so many good times with an amazing team.
“Although Covid was hard on us, we got through it because of the community spirit in Tilehurst and the families that supported us.”
Following her divorce, Fiona made it her mission to revive the business after discovering some financial difficulties.
She added: “I was advised to give it up but I had put so much of my life into the business that I just committed myself to making it work.
“I’ve had people that had worked for me for the last 10 years and I didn’t want to let them down.
“In the end I had to let it go because trying to save the business was affecting my mental health.
“I will miss everyone from our Tilehurst shop especially the community that has been behind it from the very beginning.”
Fiona has praised her customers in Tilehurst for their support over the years in good times and in bad.
“My customers have been phenomenal,” she exclaimed.
“They have shown so much love and support for me and the business and they have said that they will continue to support me in my business in Arborfield.
“I started it three years ago and it is completely separate from the Tilehurst shop, so I am confident that it will stay open for my customers.
Due to the rising energy costs and increase in rent, many independent businesses are being forced to close their doors across the country.
In Tilehurst, Fiona said she had no choice but to raise her prices due to this very issue, when merely opening her doors was costing her £5,000 per day.
She added: “We found that we were just getting priced out of the market.
“I have put my heart and soul into the shop and done everything I can to keep it open but it just isn’t feasible.”
Over the last 10 years, the Mad Hatters Pottery Café has seen an amazing team stand by it through its challenges.
As the Tilehurst business comes to an end, Fiona has praised her ‘closest ally and friend’, Lisa, who joined her in the business whilst in between jobs as a nursery nurse – ending up staying for eight years.
She said: “Lisa was a remarkable pillar of the community when she worked with me.
“She kept the business going and everyone loved her. When she got the opportunity to open her own nursery I was so happy for her, but we all knew that the heart of the team had gone.
“She is the most incredible human, and I am so grateful for what she did for the business through the years.”
