The End(ell Street) is nigh

A kinky friend’s introducing me to another of her pervy acquaintances one evening next week. It was only logical that we should arrange to meet in Coffee, Cake and Kink.

What I didn’t realise when we agreed our plan for the evening would that this would prove to be my last visit to CCK. They’ve been locked in a battle with their landlords for the past two years, and finally announced yesterday that they’ll soon be closing the doors of their café and gallery.

The wonderful team at CCK have touched the lives of so many in the scene over the past few years. They created a wonderful space which became a natural focal point for those with kinky leanings, and their friendly welcomes have helped so many to feel at ease with their preferences. (“Hey, we can’t be that odd if there’s a café for people like us – filled with all of these nice folks”).

And now we’ve lost our safe haven: London life will be much the poorer without them. I mourn their passing, and know already that future walks down Endell Street will be bitter-sweet – smiling at the memories of so many wonderful visits with cuddles enjoyed, confidences shared, inspiration found – whilst wishing they were still there.

The CCK team will still be online, though, and hope that the café may be back in the future:

Whether or not Coffee, Cake & Kink comes back as a social space depends largely on the success of the online shop, and how well we are able to demonstrate that the loss of the premises has not diminished your faith in us. So far you have voted with your feet, now you can vote with your mouse! With every order placed online, a deposit for new premises builds up and our customers show that they want us back.

I’ll be heading over to www.coffeecakeandkink.com once I’ve finished writing, to find something to order as a gesture of support. I’d urge you, if you can possibly summon up the spare cash, to do likewise. At the very least, why not make a mental note that if you’re buying kinky Christmas presents later in the year, you’ll look at CCK’s site first?

But I can’t help but feel that visiting them in Endell Street next week will bring a tear to my eye – rather like writing this post just has.

To all at CCK: our love, our thanks, and our very best wishes.