These days, competition in Malaysia’s cafe scene can be quite fierce. And Cheras is no exception.
But such hurdles mean nothing when it’s your goal to own a cafe anyways, as is the case for Sam and her mum.
Described by her as accessible and reasonably priced, the duo’s W2 Concept Cafe serves a combination of Japanese, Western, and local dishes.
That, however, is not just what makes their cafe stand out.
It’s the army of figurines staring you down as you eat.
Full circle
Born and raised in Cheras, Sam and her mum spent a lot of time cafe hopping together ever since she was a teen. This was when the idea of opening a cafe first popped into her head.
It would take a few years before that dream would be made a reality. Following her graduation, W2’s co-founder would go on to work in the UK for two years.
Starting off as a bartender, she would later become a Private Assistant for a local restaurant owner. There, she would help translate, deal with legal processes and suppliers, and involve herself in day-to-day operations.
Eventually, she soon found herself taking on a managerial role after helping her former boss open a new branch in the heart of Edinburgh.
All that to say, her short tenure in the UK gave her a wealth of experience despite her young age.
Certainly enough to give her the confidence to open up a cafe with her mum when she returned.
The initial capital for the business was around RM400,000, Sam shared, adding that it was wholly funded by her and her family. It was a combination of her UK-made personal savings as well as her four brothers’ and parents’ personal investments.
Sam noted that the British Pound to MYR exchange rate came as quite the advantage in this regard.
Described as a full-time commitment, Sam personally deals with all operations at W2, solving issues as they come. Her mother, Lee Ai Ling, is in charge of decoration, marketing, and outlook.
“I actually feel like it’s a 360 from our special time together going to cafes and now having this joint venture to owning a cafe with both of our personal elements combined,” she expressed.
An unexpected twist
Taken in full, the cafe’s name actually has a very straightforward meaning.
“W2” stands for Sam’s Chinese name, Wen Wei. As for the “Concept” part of it, that’s even simpler.
“Essentially, the cafe itself is my concept and whatever I’d like it to be!”
And right now, that concept is her mum’s obsession with Pop Mart figurines.
The story behind the two’s collection (that’s now worth about four figures, we’re told) takes us back to the UK when a Pop Mart store had just opened in London’s Chinatown.
“I first bought one blind box which was from the Skullpanda series,” she explained.
For those not in the know, a blind box is a product that is sold with the content inside intentionally obscured. With Pop Mart, customers can get one out of a series of characters with each box, but which they’ll get is entirely up to luck.
One would lead to another, and before she knew it, she was hooked.
“I usually don’t get the ones I want the most, but that’s what makes it all the more addicting!” she added.
And after she introduced the brand to her mother, the rest was history.
The Pop Mart concept has extended far beyond just being decorations for the cafe. A monthly lucky draw event has also been incorporated into the cafe’s operations.
For the month of January, these were three sets of bags, each containing blind boxes.
“In the future, as the cafe is limited on space, we might potentially sell some of the older figurines to bring in newer ones to display,” she commented.
This won’t be any time soon, though, as W2 still has some room to house a few more plastic residents.
Lining their cafe shelves with their collection does come with its concerns, of course. Theft and damage being the two main ones.
But these issues are something that the mother-daughter duo have already mentally prepared for.
“Our main goal is to allow customers to have a great time taking pictures and enjoying our collection,” she noted. “We went into this with the mindset that perhaps in the future they might be damaged or misplaced.”
Luckily for W2, nothing of the sort has happened so far (knock on wood) as all their customers are usually very respectful.
What is an issue, though, is the HR side of things.
“The turnover rate is extremely high in F&B and I’ve had some employees disappear immediately after getting paid their wages,” she said.
Recounting a time during a busy weekend where a staff member disappeared and another had to call in sick, Sam has hired two part-timers since.
“I believe that investing the extra money for a bit more hands will help to avoid customers having a less-than-great experience.”
Never a dull moment
Though they may have lost potential returning customers that day, the co-founder notes that the reception for W2 has generally been positive. Traffic tends to be high during lunch and tea, gradually getting calmer towards the evening.
The focus at the moment is back-to-back seasonal menus, with Valentine’s, Ramadan, and Hari Raya lined up for the near future.
Uniquely, plans for expansion for W2 includes the construction of a retail store within the cafe.
“This would include new, secondhand clothing as well as all of my mother’s personal crafts,” said Sam.
From dreamcatchers to keychains, these projects of her mum can be seen sprinkled throughout the cafe. So, for those interested, do stay tuned.
A little under half a year old at this point in time, W2 Concept Cafe is still very new. With its ever-changing menu, only time will tell what Sam and her team has in store next.
Featured Image Credit: W2 Concept Cafe
