“The idea of running a coffee shop came to me some years ago,” Aftab starts, “so when the opportunity came up last year I wanted to make a go of it. I’ve always liked coffee shops myself!” Aftab explained. “The idea of Pop’s is to use the concept of family, community and to be welcomed like an elder in your family who has given you support. It’s not American as such, I simply want to create a homely feeling. No areas are the same so when people come in they have an area they love to relax in.” It is true that the cafe has several different areas some with hard backed traditional chairs, some with sofas, a split level cafe with views of the High Street, some tables nearer the back give a cosy closed in feel and there is an easy area with cushions and lower seating. “When I worked in London I would find coffee shops for escapism – quirky places and they attract families and artistic types of people. I do need turnover but I want people to come in and want to stay.”
This is a business man who wants to listen to his customers and encourage people to stay and linger a while. The café plays music and is looking to put on music events in the future, but at lunchtimes on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday they have a piano playing, “Amazingly a guy waiting for his bus outside came into the café and asked us if he could play the piano – he turned out to be a genius so daytime piano has become a regular thing. We have a regular pianist – Tom – who plays four times a week and then Blake who uses the piano for practice. Occasionally customers get up and play” This underlines Aftab’s idea of embracing the community and is a credit to the café. Aftab also encourages clubs to meet at Pop’s and they can take up an area for themselves “…we have had NCT meetings here and even a knitting group that meet here most Wednesdays” Aftab seems genuinely pleased to have their repeat custom and not just for the money they will spend. Repeat custom is after all a sign of good service.
The prices are competitive with sandwiches ranging from £2.75 to £3.85 and a jacket potato at £4.25. The homemade cakes are £1.70 and I am assured the portions are freshly made and generous. The coffee Aftab has selected is made with Arabica beans and they cater for all – skinny coffee, soya coffee, espresso, cappuccino you name it, it’s on the menu and Aftab is always looking for new ideas “I am bringing over ideas from Italy and one idea I am playing with is real Italian hot chocolate. It’s very different to the hot chocolate here, I just don’t know if Maidstone is ready for it!” Like all good businesses this business is always evolving.
Aftab admits this is the first coffee shop he has run and his background is not in catering; “from university I went to business school and was then an analyst in the city. From there I got into the property trade and was a boxing coach at the same time. With my boxing I was working with youth centres, the police and teenagers kicked out of school all over Kent. I saw the improvements in the kids from the attention I was giving them and I think that’s where my sense of community came into play and it’s the same here – community matters, all the staff should be making everyone welcome. This is my first venture into catering, it’s a big step into the unknown as there is only so much you can learn from research” Aftab’s varied career does have one common element to it – people. His warmth comes across instantly like a good host at a dinner party.
Maidstone needs men like Aftab who put themselves on the line to make their business a success, to bring something different to Maidstone but most of all to be naturally happy in what they do welcoming the community rather than trying to sculpt the community into their way of thinking and whilst the coffee shop chains have their place, there is nothing like an independent.
Aftab Rana