The Press Book House and Cafe in Newcastle's Civic precinct is well-known for great coffee and its chilled vibe of books, music and live performances. The key to it all: owner Chez Coffey.
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00:00 G'day, I'm Ches Coffey, I'm the owner of the Press Coffee and Book House in Newcastle.
00:07 How do you like your coffee, Ches?
00:08 I like it strong. Often I have a piccolo or I'll have what's known as a magic, which is a bit cringy, but I have a magic.
00:18 Is it more of a bookstore or more of a cafe?
00:21 It's more of a living room for locals, but it is more, there are more books than there are coffees, but we certainly sell more coffees than we do books.
00:32 Is there a Bible in your bookshop?
00:34 There is indeed.
00:35 What's your favourite addition that you've made to the shop?
00:39 Well, probably getting the licence and extending our opening hours to evenings.
00:45 What book in general has had the most profound effect on you?
00:48 On me, in general? Oh, it was a beautiful biography called Aleni and it was around one of the Greek civil wars and just a tragic story around a family and survival and loss and grief.
01:00 There was a movie about it and the movie touched me just as much as the book.
01:05 What is the philosophy of your business, Ches?
01:09 Well, really, it's all about the vibes. We're very cosy here, quite inclusive and we do like to think of ourselves in a way as part of the thread that makes up the tapestry, that is the culture of this sort of area of Newcastle.
01:28 What's your favourite time of the day here at the Press?
01:31 I'll be honest with you, first thing in the morning when we open. Yeah, I love it. My regulars come in, I can have a little bit of a chat before it gets crazy busy and we're just setting up the shop ready for the day. It's probably my favourite time.
01:44 Your business is known far and wide. What do people say about it?
01:48 Most people come in and they're all like, "Oh my God, I can't believe this place is amazing!" and they take photos and, "Yeah, I'm going to tell my friends I'm coming back!" and they will check in on Instagram or Facebook. So, mainly, it's just people surprised that we might have lived here their whole lives and never really known we were here.
02:10 And it's true you're looking to sell the business?
02:12 We are looking to sell. I think it's just become apparent that I'm just getting old and I would like to have some time to look into the creative fields myself and maybe do a little less physical work. So, I'm old. Did I mention that? See you, mate. Thank you, Pat. Bye-bye.
02:34 What do you say to your customers as a farewell?
02:37 I love you. I love you all. That's a quote from Jeff Bennett when he won his boxing round back in the day.