WHEN his wife suggested they open a creperie, Simon Godfrey wasn’t so sure.

Apart from not being a huge fan of crepes, the former IT project manager had been entertaining hopes of finding a similar job since he was made redundant 18 months earlier.

But Simon’s attitude has done an about turn and he is now convinced that the enterprise, Godfrey’s Creperie, which he runs with his wife Ximena Florian-Gaviria, will be welcomed and supported by Colchester shoppers.

Simon said: “I was disappointed to have been made redundant, because I really liked the company I was working for, but you can’t do anything about it.

“We went into this venture with great trepidation because I am not a natural entrepreneur.

“But there is a big gap in the market between the McDonald’s and Burger Kings and the nice brasseries where you sit down and have a nice meal.

“People don’t always want fast food, but they are also counting their pennies. Our business should cater for that market.”

Set up in a static kiosk in Culver Square, Colchester, Godfrey’s Creperie will be open seven days a week until Christmas, and six days a week thereafter. Simon is convinced shoppers will be drawn to the tantalising array of sweet, spicy and savoury-flavoured crepes and urged them to support independent enterprises, like his, to keep Colchester thriving.

He said: “We think people will suppport us and that we will be an asset to Colchester. As soon as shoppers come to Culver Square and get that crepe smell, they will make a beeline for us.

“Also, variety keeps a town going. When Ximena and I go into town, it’s not just to the bigger chain stores. We go to the boutiques and independent shops as well.”

Simon, who lives in Bures, met Ximena while he was working in London and she was working in Pret A Manger. The Columbian business and English graduate had seen the success of a creperie in her home country.

Simon confessed: “Originally I wasn’t so sure because although I am a keen amateur chef, I wasn’t a huge fan of crepes. Then Ximena took me to a creperie in London and those crepes were so gorgeous, I started thinking it would go well in Colchester.

“It’s Ximena who inspired me, first to do the market research and then to develop the concept. Reading books like Anyone Can Do it, by Duncan Bannatyne, have really helped too.

“It’s good to feel I’m dragging myself off Jobseekers Allowance by creating a business both of us can work on.

“It hasn’t been easy though. This is the culmination of a massive amount of hard work. Hopefully, this will be the first in a chain of creperies, but first we have to make sure everything we do in Colchester makes people want to come back again and again.”

Ximena added: “It’s our aim to create a really friendly place for people to visit. Good customer service is rare these days, but I learned in Pret A Manger that talking to customers and taking care of them meant a visit became the highlight of their day. This is what I want to recreate at Godfrey’s Creperie.”

Simon acknowledged the difficult trading climate, but revealed the fast food sector was bucking the downturn.

“It’s always a risk, but in our case it’s a calculated risk,” he said.

“A lot of hard work has gone into where we are today.”