- After travelling to Bangkok and seeing their love for matcha, Albert wanted the same in Malaysia.
- But when he noted the trend of co-working spaces, he decided to combine it in Nestspace.
- He wanted the low prices and community to be the drawing point, so all of Nestspace’s items are below RM9. All you need is a cup of coffee to enter and work there all day.
It’s often said that the modern co-working space is just a spiritual successor to people programming in coffee shops. Rather than feel pressured to buy more drinks, tenants can simply pay a daily charge and feel no guilt sitting there doing their own thing.
Many co-working spaces have since gone back to those roots, and one of them is Nestspace—a co-working space without the commitment.
The space is 3000 square feet, and spans 3 floors in Petaling Jaya. And it only requires you to buy one drink to be able to stay for the whole day.
You can buy those drinks, from matcha to the classic coffee for no more than RM10.
Albert Chee, founder of Nestspace, was inspired to create the space during a solo trip to Bangkok. He didn’t see any co-working spaces there, but what he noticed was their love for matcha.
He wanted to bring that love for matcha to Malaysia, and was designing the space when he noticed the co-working space trend.
Albert liked the idea, and incorporated it into his designs once he did his research. Two months later, Nestspace was born, after Albert spent approximately RM300,000 to RM350,000 to build the three-floor space.
Now, Nestspace is both a café and lounge designed for those who would like to chill and mingle, or a space for those who want to spread out and study, or do work.
Its attendees speak about the chill ambiance, as well as what is said to be a beautiful sunset view from the expansive windows of the space.
Where others see a waste, Albert sees an opportunity.
Contemporary coffee shops in the area would sell drinks for at least RM9, especially if a drink is their ticket into their location. But Albert instead sees opportunity.
“People are paying too much for a glass of beverage. Also, many working spaces come with monthly membership fees where it creates a feeling of obligation to the space,” said Albert.
So for Nestspace, Albert instead wants to keep them coming back through the cozy ambiance and good drinks, while pushing the spirit of togetherness.
“I come from a background of interior design and confectionery—specialising in chocolate. Many of the items you see on our menu are made from scratch by our dedicated team and this also makes it more possible for us to maintain a reasonable pricing to our customers,” said Albert.
But to ensure that costs are recouped while still serving good drinks to his customers, Albert tells us that he has to put in extra effort into constant research and solutions on the fly.
When we asked about sustainability, Albert candidly shared that besides putting in the research and work, he relies on his faith.
“I never once thought of competing with other cafés, as I believe that there’s a purpose now for Nestspace to be known.”
With a co-working space in place, Netspace’s future also lies in online shopping.
After opening a co-working space that could attract the likes of startups, freelancers and designers, Nestspace’s next move is to expand into e-commerce. In fact, its site already has a section for its online selling.
They might even build a small retail area to display products.
Albert told us that they want to carry, “Local products and services by various startups, freelancers and designers, and of course other interested stakeholders.”
- Nestspace is at No. 85M, Jalan SS21/1a, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Feature Image Credit: Nestspace
