BY ADRIANA DRIS
KUCHING: Determined to become an entrepreneur, a 22-year-old woman decided to set up a coffee shop at the parking lot of her house, the aptly-named Ruang Parkir (parking lot).
“I love looking at the designs of the coffee shops as well as the machines used because they look so pretty when photographed.
“As everyone knows, today’s generation loves to take pictures to be uploaded onto their social media accounts,” said Nurfara Elisa Najwa Obaidillah, or fondly known as Elisanajwa.
“Using this idea, I created Indonesian-concept decorations to attract customers to take pictures — indirectly, this has enabled me to promote my business,” said the third of four siblings.
Elaborating further, she said since she had no knowledge on coffee or coffee making, she first did research by comparing coffee from coffee suppliers as well as coffee machines according to her budget.
She also learned the exact ways to brew coffee from her barista friends.
“I only buy high-quality coffee beans from local suppliers and brew them myself.”
Looking back, Elisanajwa said she never thought that she would now own her own coffee shop as she did not dare to put out this idea to her family for fear of not getting support.
“Actually, I’m not a coffee lover but, as I said earlier, coffee shops look very pretty when they are photographed — from there, the desire to own a coffee shop started to manifest.
“Plus, there are no coffee shops in my area so this further strengthens my desire.
“Thanks to the support from my family, I started this business early August this year,” she explained, adding that her friends and cousins also helped her at the shop.
When asked on the specialty of Ruang Parkir’s coffee compared to other shops, she stressed that the coffee she brewed had a balance of sweet and bitter taste.
“Some of the favourites are Es Kopi Latte and Kopi Ruang Parkir, with the addition of caramel or vanilla syrup.
“Apart from coffee, we also offer other beverages like chocolate, matcha, taro as well as desserts like muffins, congo bars and others,” she explained, adding that she hoped her business would continue to grow and planned to open other branches in the future.
Drinks are priced from RM8 to RM12 while desserts are from RM2 to RM6.
Ruang Parkir is located in Jalan Merdeka, Kampung Tanjung, and is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 1pm to 10pm.
Members of the public can also look up @ruang.parkir on Instagram or call 013-7865770 to place orders or reservations.
