'We hugged each other and sobbed': Ground Floor Coffee owner on decision to close home-based business and open cafe

When Hasif and his wife decided to shutter their Instagram-famous home-based business (HBB) Ground Floor Coffee, it was a bittersweet moment.

For those unfamiliar with the name, you may remember it as the coffee joint in Pasir Ris where orders were taken and collected from an HDB flat window — yes, that one.

Speaking to AsiaOne on the difficult decision made to close the two-year-old takeaway coffee joint, Hasif said: "We hugged each other and sobbed! [It was] so sad."

But few may know why they closed, since he'd never publicly posted of the difficulties that he had with managing the HBB.

"Initially I wanted to grow the business as an HBB and slowly branch out, but there are a lot of limitations and missed opportunities for me to explore; apart from the complaints (from the public) that we got every now and then," said Hasif, 33, a self-taught barista.

He declined to go into detail about the complaints, except to say that they were "mentally draining" to deal with.

With his back seemingly against the wall, Hasif shared that he finally had to sit down with his wife to discuss the issues faced.

"After at least a week of discussions and sharing of ideas, we finally decided that we really needed to step out of the HBB circle if we want to make this a sustainable business and grab all the opportunities and collaborations that we'd missed," said Hasif, stressing that coming to the final decision to close was "very, very, very hard".

But as they say, every new beginning stems from an end. Hasif and his wife officially opened their takeaway coffee joint at East Village mall, located near Simpang Bedok, on Sunday (Sept 22).

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Hasif revealed to us, however, that he had been resisting opening a brick-and-mortar store all along, until push came to shove.

"Opening up a cafe was one of the last few things in my business plan to be very honest. Back then, I didn't really enjoy the idea of having a cafe and the commitment it would require of me on top of the additional cost, rent, and so on. The freedom of doing business at the comfort of my home surrounded by my kids and wife had always been a priority for me."

They'd announced the closure of their HBB on Aug 13 without giving away any future plans, but by then, Hasif and his wife had already begun scouting for possible locations for the cafe and had earmarked some locations they loved. However, nothing was set in stone yet.

"After we decided to step out from the HBB circle, I told my wife that we needed to be near Pasir Ris because our GFC (Ground Floor Coffee) fam is mostly from the surrounding neighbourhood and in the nearby estates," said Hasif.

Upon further research, the site at East Village "ticked all our criteria", said Hasif.

While Hasif preferred to keep the total sum invested a secret, he revealed that the amount was "a good five figures".

And even though their new cafe is still a takeaway joint, it is probably to be expected that prices will be higher, but not by much, stressed Hasif.

"We had to increase [prices] but just by a few cents. I think it's normal," he said.

Those who've visited the cafe or seen their posts would also have noticed that there are some desserts on sale now to accompany the drinks. 

"We've partnered with a bakery to bake and supply for us. We're also working on exclusive items baked just for our cafe," he shared.

In spite of everything, Hasif shared that he's "grateful for how things have turned out, nonetheless".

Business at the cafe has been buzzing, but "still manageable", in the first few days of opening, he tells us.

"It's a good kind of stress," he said with a laugh.

ALSO READ: 'Savour 1 last brew': Oriole Coffee + Bar to close after 16 years

candicecai@asiaone.com