CuriosiTeas Play Café Darlington ‘desperate’ to stay open

Aimee and Richard Bland first took a leap into the business world three years ago when they set up CuriosiTeas Play Café in the Queen Street Shopping Centre – and since then they have welcomed thousands of families through their doors.

A gap in the market for a safe space for young families to play and relax led the former mental health nurse and army veteran to set up the business which includes café, play area, and facilities accessible for parents and their little ones.

Richard & Aimee Bland. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) However, as the cost of living including their bills, rent and food costs have increased, the pair say they have been left with no choice but to set up a GoFundMe page to stay open.

Richard, 46, told The Northern Echo: “A year after we first opened, we were hit with a massive energy bill of £10,000 and since then we’ve been struggling to pay it and keep up with everything.

“We have been honest with our customers and said we were struggling and needed help.

“When you get into the warmer months, the customers do just drop off. You can’t compete with free events ran by the town or the weather.

CuriosiTeas Play-Cafe, Darlington. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) “So, the income drops but we have to keep up with bills and everything else.”

Wife Aimee, 40, added: “We had almost paid off the £10,000 but we got behind again because of other bills including an increase in rent and business.

“We have now been told by the electricity company that if we don’t pay 50% of what we owe them in the next four weeks we’ll be cut off.

“There just isn’t any help for small businesses.”

This is not the first time the pair have spoken out about their struggles.

In October 2024, despite a good customer base and a load of support, the couple admitted that they had considered closing that summer and “walking away”.

CuriosiTeas Play-Cafe, Darlington. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT) Even then, they answered the question of whether the cafe would survive or not with “it depends”.

Seven months on, their only member of staff has handed in their notice and the couple haven’t been able to replace her due to costs – adding the choice to set up the fundraiser was not an easy one.

Aimee said: “It is soul destroying and it doesn’t sit right with either of us – it’s something neither of us would want to do but we really don’t want to close.

“The people of Darlington don’t want us to close. We are really grateful to everyone who has supported us and the reaction to the fundraiser has been really good.

“It confirms that people want us to stay, they don’t want us to go and they would miss us.”

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Richard added: “It is out of desperation. There is nothing like what we have in Darlington – we have a great customer base but if we were to close you wouldn’t find a place like ours.

“It is a really safe, friendly environment for people to come to – particularly parents with young children.”

To donate to the fundraiser, click here.