The Green Room in Ipswich undergoes series of changes

The Green Room, in St Margaret's Green, was initially opened as an atelier -  meaning workshop in French - and café by Su-Ling Emin on April 19, 2019. 

During the years that followed, the café started to outgrow the atelier side of the business and became "unsustainable". 

It's café is set to become smaller (Image: The Green Room café)

On its fifth birthday, Ms Emin announced to staff and loyal customers that it would be undergoing a series of changes, with the focus turned towards involving a wider audience.

"The original concept was to have artists and creators in here doing their thing and liaising with the general public to show the general public what it is they do," said Ms Emin. 

"What happened over Covid was food ended up taking over. Now that Covid has gone and I've taken a re-assessment of the business, I have realised I need to go back to that.

"It was a difficult decision because it has turned into a very successful café, but the costs of running a business have gone up." 

The new direction for the business will see a café retained, albeit on a smaller scale.

Among the new events are coffee with a copper, offering the chance to chat with a local police officer, as well as willow weaving, poetry events and photography masterclasses. 

It is hoped the new direction for the business will bring in a wider audience to the venue. 

"What that means is this big, lovely space that was the café is now a space for people to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things," added Ms Emin. 

"For me, the wins are involving a wider group of the community.

"This has always been a passion project. I’ve given five years of my life to this café and now it's time for me to focus on the next thing I want to offer this town.”