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Young entrepreneurs of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are implementing innovative ideas to make their businesses unique.
During the last year, several new businesses in the Kashmir valley came up with the theme of Motor Garage, the popular arena-battle game PUBG and other such unique set-ups. Now a unique cafe, the first of its kind based on the theme of the American Sitcom 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S', has become the centre of attraction in Kashmir.Built in Hubak, a suburb of Srinagar city, this cafe has been modelled keeping in view the 'Central Perk Cafe' in America. Be it the doors or walls, the furniture, or the things placed on the shelves, everything resembles and presents the same ambience to the people, as was seen in the show. This cafe is being run by a couple, Afra and Faheem. Afra has done MBA, and Faheem is an engineer by profession. Wanting to branch out and start their own business, Afra and Faheem started the construction of the cafe in July 2019. But initially, they haven't planned it to resemble the iconic Central Perk Cafe. Speaking to the Milap News Network, Afra said, "the construction of the cafe had started in July 2019 but was later stalled due to unfavourable conditions". She further informed that the idea of making it look like the Central Perk came when Faheem watched the popular 'Friends series' during the ongoing lockdown in 2020. After the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, they thought to create this themed cafe. Faheem, in his statement, added that it was not an easy task to implement the cafe on the theme of the sitcom Friends. Faheem further stated, it was difficult to collect equipment and items needed to provide a complete and refined environment for friends, like the Central Perk Cafe, as they had to import items. Faheem exclaimed that today when visitors praise the cafe, the effort behind it seems worth it. "Everyone who comes to the cafe can't help but appreciate it. We feel happy when people like our idea", said Faheem. Faheem and Afra say that, it is satisfying to see their dream come true and that it has met with success. Visitors to the cafe expressed that the cafe is different in appearance, and the service and atmosphere here are different. Visitors, praising the cafe, say that coming here feels that we are not in Kashmir but transcend to some other place. In this cafe, no compromise on the quality of the dishes is made, and special attention is paid to the visitor's taste buds. "Coming here, it doesn't feel like we are in Kashmir at all, everything here is unique and the service is fantastic," said a customs official. Central Perk Cafe has only been open for a few months now, but it is becoming quite popular with people, especially the youth. Apart from local youth, university students visit here regularly to enjoy the ambience of the cafe and to relish the delicious food here. (ANI)
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