A HARD-working entrepreneur whose dream of running his own cafe was shattered in last year’s riots is planning to reopen next year.
Zakar Hussain has struggled ever since his business, The Green Mango Cafe in Ealing Green was flooded by firemen’s hoses dousing the supermarket next door, which was torched by thugs.
He got no compensation from the police because insurers paid out, although not until January 2012. The problem is the money received was far less than he expected.
He said: "I had a tight deadline to make a list of everything which was damaged. It was pitch black and I was using a torch, I couldn’t list all of it. We’re still discovering more damage now builders are refitting the shop and, as my businesses was only open for about four months before the riots, I didn’t get the loss of earnings I expected. It cost more than £100,000 to set the cafe up, I got nowhere near that."
Mr Hussain organised with landlord, the charity Pathways, to bring in his own builders to speed up the structural repairs, but delays have meant he has been unable to open before Christmas.
He was unable to sell his house in Langley, Berkshire, even after dropping the price to £45,000 but could not live there because he could not afford the bills.
He says he has been living with family and friends and is “up to his eyeballs in debt”.
He said: “I’ve had to beg and borrow from friends. They told me not to give up on my dreams and without their support I couldn’t carry on being positive and looking to the future. I’m really frustrated I’ll miss opening before Christmas but I only have to wait a few more months.
"I’m really grateful to the University of West London students who painted the mural on the boarding reminding people I’m still here."
See www.greenmangocafe.co.uk.
