Abacus Espresso is an Integral Part of its Local Community
Abacus Espresso (no relation to Abacus POS, but coincidentally our valued customer) sets itself apart from the multitude of other cafes in its combination corporate and residential neighbourhood. How you ask? It has to do with its strong connections to the local community.
‘Proud to be part of someone’s daily routine’
Abacus Espresso’s owners, Maddie, and Calvin, both have a passion for coffee, people, and hospitality that was brewing long before they officially opened their café just 10 months ago in August 2021.
At the end of Perth’s first major lockdown over 2 years ago in March 2020, they began working on their dream café. The pandemic didn’t deter the duo; they’re steeped in hospitality experience and knew they could make it through even the toughest of times.
Maddie discusses their unique service proposition, ‘We are proud to be part of someone’s daily routine. They come to us each morning for their favourite cuppa, and we know their names, the type of coffee they’re going to order, and often even knowledge about their families … personal stories too.
We build genuine human relationships with our customers, and in the end, what we do each day doesn’t even feel like ‘work’ in the traditional sense of the word. We’re chatting with friends all day.’
Why ‘Abacus Espresso’?
This isn’t a play on the notion of ‘counting (coffee) beans’, is it?
Not at all. The name comes from the couple’s one-year-old daughter’s favourite toy – a toy abacus gifted to her by their elderly neighbour. They gave her the toy when Perth’s first lockdown ended, and people were once again able to intermingle to some extent – right when Maddie and Calvin were starting to flesh out plans for their new caffeine venture.
Maddie: ‘During the first lockdown, a coffee, a simple walk, and a distanced interaction with a neighbour was what got us through our first round of isolation. A sense of community was, and still is, so important to us.’
A Genuine Laneway Café
Located at 10 Electric Lane, Abacus Espresso was part of Perth’s City of Vincent’s laneway event. Its locally designed fit-out is ‘Hygge’ inspired – Scandinavian for a mood of cosiness, warmth found in soothing simplistic things, and an atmosphere of friendship, wellness, and contentment.
Abacus Espresso stock their ‘Grab ‘n’ Go’ concept coffee hub with tasty foods and coffee from local suppliers like Mary Street Bakery, Crunch Box, Blacklist Coffee Beans, BOM Coffee Beans, and Double Double Coffee Beans.
They also support local artists – Leederville is a small suburb with a huge focus on the arts. Local artists have had a hand in many of the designs around the café, including the brand’s new logo design (currently in the process of being produced by popular local muralist Andrew Frazer), as well as merchandise including coffee cups created by a local sculptor, Jonathan Hook.
What Does the Future Hold for Abacus Espresso?
The team at Abacus Espresso are proactive in their approach to business, and after seeing only 5-star reviews come in (all genuine!), they’ve already begun thinking of the coming years. Roasting their own beans, more speciality coffees, and small batch brews – expansion may well too be on the crema horizon.
Adaptation and agility are essential for success
Maddie believes it is their willingness to learn and adapt to evolve with the demographic of constantly shifting work from home and office customers that has seen them succeed. Even in the heart of lockdowns they still sold ‘keep cups’ (socially distanced of course!), and they use Future Friendly Packaging in line with their own values and those of the local eco-friendly focused community.
Read more of our latest client success stories here or get in touch with Abacus to learn more about how a POS system in Perth can help to grow your business.