Mystic Coffee Lounge celebrates seventh birthday by raising money for mental health charity Mind

Mystic Coffee Lounge in High Street, Cosham, has been open for seven years this month (July), serving a range of coffees, tasty treats including vegan and gluten free options, as well as crystals and tarot cards.

Owner, Kate May, wanted to celebrate the seven years while also raising money for Mind, the mental health charity. It is two facets that have come hand in hand over the years with customers finding it a safe and relaxing space to come in for a chat, either about their struggles or just life in general.

Kate said: “We don’t have the busyness of a Costa or a Greggs, it’s more chilled here. We have seen so many customer, some that have become good friends over the years.

“A lot of people come in and offload to us because it's a small coffee shop, we get to know our customers and they offload with whatever's going on in their lives and some of it is traumatic. We've had customers saying this has been their safe space and this has really helped them.

“We have had customers come in off the street crying because they've just had some trauma or some bad news and they just feel drawn to come in. They're not sure why they've come in, they just feel drawn. We sit them down, we give them a cup of tea and we have a little chat with them and then they go away lifted.

Kate added: “It wasn't the aim of the game when we first started, but it's certainly part of what we do now and it's great to do that.”

There have been a number of changes since Kate opened the shop but it has continued to establish itself as a fixture in the high street. The introduction of Karen Pallet to manage the cafe side has seen a range of new food and drink options available, providing gluten free options which they are told is rare in Cosham.

For the uninitiated, the tarot side of the business may seem niche but it is popular and draws in customers from across the area.

Kate said: “In the last seven years, we have gone through some changes, but each change has brought something better along with it. We get a mixture of different people, lots of people meet their friends in here for coffee and cake. Obviously we've got the crystals, so we also sell a lot of tarot cards, crystals and all the new age stock as well.”

“A huge thank you to those that have supported us over the years.”

To donate to Mystic Coffee Lounge’s Just Giving page visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/mysticcoffeeloungementalhealth?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL