Coffee and a book are a good combination every time and everywhere. Many people would say, “Give me a cup of coffee and a book that I love and I will be happy”. They are dear friends to human beings in lonely times. Loving reading and coffee, two young Omanis decided to launch their own café “Chapter One”, for the lovers of coffee and books.
Located in al Khoudh, Muscat, the idea behind the café is so that someone will have a space to relax, read a book and have his favourite coffee.
‘’We are two partners who decided to start a business in 2015, after working in various companies and getting great experience and knowledge in our separate fields. We’ve decided that we want to share our passions with the community and try to fill the gaps as much as we can, and it turned out as “Chapter One Book Café”, said Fahad al Alawi.
Chef Fahad al Alawi, a culinary graduate from Oman Tourism College, is experienced mostly in pastries and desserts and he is behind the famous Classic Tiramisu that they sell at the café. Chef Fahad always had a passion for cooking, creating new dishes and adding his own twists to them. He is also a coffee addict which helps a lot in concocting the items served at the cafe.
Bookworm Sara al Habsi, a computer science graduate from the German University of Technology in Oman who has a background in management and marketing, is passionate about reading books from all genres. She loves meeting other bookworms at the café and encouraging people to read more.
‘’Chapter One” resembles a new beginning for the book community in Muscat. Following two of the owners’ passions, they would like to encourage people to go back to reading.
“We would like to show how reading with a cup of coffee can be life-changing and beneficial. We also wanted this space to help elevate the culture of living within the community’’, the partners shared.
The cafe houses more than 1,000 titles to read both in English and Arabic making it perhaps the only coffeeshop in Muscat that is also a library-of-sort.
The partners have taken into consideration a lot of things that affect their customers. For instance, not only did they look only at what type of food would connect well with their client base, they also look into pricing making sure that prices are within the range that students can also afford.
“We are very keen on having kids around and doing book-related activities such as story-time events. We would like it to be a venue of learning and we are aiming for the culture of reading to be passed on to the next generation’’, the partners shared.
The idea of the cafe started in 2015 with the opening happening only in 2020.
“We looked into the interior designs and decorations. We were meticulous as to the sort of products and services we wanted to provide. We were also looking into funding. By the time that we opened last year, we had taken into account all the things we want it to’’,they shared.
Both Sara and Fahad are united in saying that the business was only possible because of sheer determination and persistence.
‘’There are a lot of challenges in starting any business. For us, we have looked into making sure that we were creating something unique and fresh in the market so that our café stands out and create a new experience for the customer. Adding a library gave us that needed edge. Choosing a great location with affordable rent was a big challenge as well while keeping in mind that there are a lot of competitors in the area”, they shared.
Formally opening the cafe on September 15, 2020, the business partners were amazed by the great turnout and love they got from their customers.
All of it, they admitted would have not been possible without the help and support of both their families.
“One’s army is his family. We were thankful that they showered us with great ideas and material support’’, they chorused.
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