”It is sympathetic and darn cheap” – Local cafe becomes a conscientious hub for the seniors

Skafferi Oliven. Image: Amy Renyu Jin

With a façade decorated with plaques of affordable deals, rattan chairs and an integrated grocery store, Olivens Skafferi might not spell the recipe for a trendy café. Situated in Linnéstaden, the café has attracted numerous customers with its coffee and bun at 15kr, but more importantly, it has become a conscientious community hub for the locals to meet, socialize and take care of each other.

Katarina Nilsson, the owner of Olivens Skatteri since 1990, decided to include a café in the store around eight years ago. From the simple two sets of tables and chairs at the time, today’s cafe has expanded with an outdoor seating area, providing a genuine homely atmosphere for the customers.

“I have seen kids grow up here and now they have gotten kids of their own. That is pretty fun to see”, says Nilsson.

So what is so special about Olivens Skafferi? According to Nilsson, the friendly staff and humble prices combined are certainly a reason for the customers to return constantly.

”It is sympathetic and darn cheap”, says regular customer Magnus Lindström. 

Nilsson adds, “ It is especially the older pensioners that come here for a fika. They get to know each other and arrange time to meet up”. The place seem to bring people together, and it has become part of the daily life for the senior regulars.

According to Nilsson, the regulars keep track of each other. If someone did not show up one

Christer Öberg, one of the regular costumers. Image: Amy Renyu Jin

day, they would go and visit his/her house to check that everything is fine. When a elderly regular needed help taking care of himself, others even helped with getting him into a nursing home.

Christer Öberg lives in the neighborhood and has been visiting Olivens Skafferi since the 80s. According to Öberg, he often comes over to buy the Newspaper and take a fika. Over the years he has acquainted himself with many other locals who visit the cafe regularly. One of them is Karin Makar, who comes here almost everyday.

“I think it is social with good prices. It is a very pleasant place”, says Makar.

Over the years, Olivens Skafferi has gone through rough patches as well as good. The cafe managed to get through the setbacks but it would not have survived without the regulars, says Nilsson.

By: Charlotta Lindblom, Emma Bratt and Amy Renyu Jin.

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