A new coffee shop and deli has opened in what used to be a hair salon in Sittingbourne.

A Polish family, made up of parents Barbara and Piotr Clapinski and their son and daughter Filip and Diana, opened the doors to Five Steps Coffee and Deli at 27 West Street last Monday.

It was once home to Forever Hair and Beauty, which relocated to East Street at the end of last year.

Diana, 26, said: “The aim of the coffee shop and deli is to create a new experience for the people of Sittingbourne.

“We serve fresh coffees, teas, sandwiches, homemade cakes and biscuits, a selection of hams, cheese and salamis, and waffles with fresh cream for the sweet lovers.”

She added: “There’s nothing quite like this in Sittingbourne. Firstly, it looks and feels different but also we offer different cakes and pastries that I’ve never seen in the area.

“I think there was definitely a gap in the market for this type of business and we’ve already had a good response from our customers.” The Clapinskis moved to London 11 years ago from Torun in Poland.

The family lived in the capital for about nine years, where they had a grocery shop in east London, before subsequently moving to Minster on Sheppey.

Diana said: “It was always my parents’ dream to open something where they can serve food, as it is their hobby and both of them are very good cooks.

“When we moved to Sheppey, we wanted something not far from us but in a bigger town, so Sittingbourne was the best idea.”

As to why it’s called Five Steps Coffee and Deli, Diana said: “The idea came from the steps you have to climb to get to our shop and, when refurbishing it, we discovered another set of stairs also with five steps.”

The coffee shop and deli also offers sandwiches and drinks as a takeaway service.

It is open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Thursday, 9am to 7pm on Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday. For more information, search for Five Steps Coffee and Deli on Facebook.