A grateful owner of a Watford coffee shop says being nominated as one of the favourite outlets in the area “gives us the motivation to continue”.

The Watford Observer is running a Love Local Business campaign and as part of this, we are asking readers to tell us about their favourite local shop to acknowledge excellent customer service and those businesses that have gone the extra mile to help the community during the Covid-19 crisis.

Perfect Blend, in St Albans Road, was nominated by three readers - Victoria Dickens, Karrie Keane and Rosie Martin - each of whom praised the welcoming and friendly staff.

Harrow Times:

Iced drinks on sale at the St Albans Road shop

Rosie said: “After my house on Bradshaw Road was involved in a bad fire at the end of May, they really supported me whilst I was staying away from home after I lost a lot of my £90 food shop that had been delivered the day before the fire.

“I returned to work less than two days after the fire so was visiting the coffee shop on my lunch break as I didn’t have any lunch to take to work with me.”

Fill in this simple Watford Observer Q&A form to tell us about your favourite local shop

Owner Mirela Vrajitoru, who has run the business since September 2019, said: “We can’t express how honoured and grateful we are for all the support we got from our customers.

“It feels amazing being part of the community, and this coffee shop exists because of the customers and for the customers.

“We feel rewarded because people believe in us, and being nominated gives us the motivation to continue.”

Harrow Times:

Some of the dishes Perfect Blend sells

Mirela admitted the pandemic has changed the way she and her staff interact with customers, but continued: “We still keep our smiles and make sure that everyone that comes in our store has the best possible experience.

“We listen all the time for the feedback and what people need and are looking for. That’s why we have introduced ranges like gluten free and vegan. Because we are preparing everything fresh, we can personalise food to suit the customers preferences.

“We want to be part of the community and we want everyone to know that we are here for them.”