Today we’d like to introduce you to Gal Tshnieder.
Hi Gal, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We started as a surf wax brand a few years ago, I was making a surf wax in my apartment kitchen and selling online. We started doing a little bit of apparel as well and we were selling wax all over the country! Eventually my roommates got sick of me making wax in our kitchen and having wax on every possible surface so we started looking for a space. We found our new home on Venice Blvd, but it was way too big to be just a wax making studio. We made a big decision to make it a local hangout! Coffee shop was the obvious choice in my mind and we took about 8 months renovating the old t shirt manufacturing shop into what it is today. We hired our very first barista (Mak) who is now the manager of the shop, and her innovative and rotating drink menu is what keeps people coming in on a daily basis. If you come into Saba what you can expect is a chill hangout area where you can work, meet some local creatives, enjoy a great coffee, and browse some locally shaped surfboards!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think anyone who has opened a food service business would tell you that its been a smooth road. I certainly don’t regret anything, but there is always challenges. I personally had never opened a coffee shop before, so everything was new to us. Designing the space was our first challenge. Making the floorplan that would support a welcoming environment, but also give us a good flow for making drinks. Next was the machinery. EVERYTHING breaks all the time, but thats just what happens in a kitchen. We have had to all become novice mechanics in the shop. leaning on youtube a lot of the time to fix the little things. We are VERY lucky in a lot of ways, and while getting people in the door for the first time is always a unique challenge we retain a lot of our customers who enjoy the laid back vibe. Right now our biggest challenge is keeping up with our fast growth. Hiring baristas who are great at making coffee, but also making our customers feel at home.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Day to day in the shop I mostly just manage the place. I do the boring things like accounting. I occasionally get to do some of the fun stuff like work behind the bar making coffees, or designing new merchandise, but mostly all the credit goes to our baristas. They are the ones who are working hard on creating new drinks, organizing the community events, knowing customers names, birthdays, whats going on in their life.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Theres lots of lessons Ive learned, but in this industry it comes down to taking care of your people. This applies to your staff, as well as your customers. Energy spent making people feel comfortable and special is never a waste.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Sabasurf.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saba_surf/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/saba-surf-los-angeles-2
