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Lego enthusiast ditches corporate life to open cafe

Luke Deal,in Bury St Edmundsand
Aimee Dexter
Luke Deal/BBC Clare Harding has dark brown hair and is wearing it in a ponytail. She is wearing a white T-shirt and black cardigan and is standing in front of a wall which has several shelves with trays. All of them have numbers on them.Luke Deal/BBC
Clare Harding opened up her cafe after debating whether to leave her corporate job

A former corporate worker has built a new career brick by brick and opened a Lego-themed cafe.

After swapping spreadsheets for toy bricks, Clare Harding opened Bricks and Bites in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on 29 October, to give enthusiasts the chance to build a Lego model from one of its 250 sets.

The idea of a dedicated cafe grew after she held a number of building sessions on weekends and during the school holidays in her local pub.

The 41-year-old from Kentford, Suffolk, said: "It's been quite an adjustment from my previous job where I got to sit down most days, but it's been enormously rewarding to provide this space and activity in Bury St Edmunds."

Harding, who previously worked in economic development, said she wanted to create a space that was "as welcoming for adults as it is for kids".

She said she hoped the venue would also become a hub for home-education groups and after-school clubs.

Clare Harding A bay window in a building has a table in front of it which has coloured chairs tucked beneath it. There are different coloured large Lego bricks stacked on top of each other.Clare Harding
Harding said the opening of the cafe has had a "positive" response

Harding said her daughter and nephews playing with Lego sparked her interest in the toy.

"I thought it was a bit magic how it occupied them and how creative the sets are," she said.

All of the 250 sets, which are for different ages and vary in difficulty, were purchased by Harding.

"All I can say is my poor bank account," she joked.

Luke Deal/BBC A table is situated beside a wall and has two chairs tucked underneath it. To the right, there are shelves full of Lego. There are balloons also next to a window on the right.Luke Deal/BBC
The cafe consists of two levels, with different rooms for people to build in

She said since opening the space last week, there had been a "positive response" in the community.

"It's brilliant to chat with so many people, and seeing the kids and adults light up when they show me their builds makes it so very worth it."

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