When Williston Park’s Yvonne and Eric Lo were considering what kind of business to open up in the area, the two kept coming back to something they noticed was missing.
A cafe where customers can walk in, feel at home and enjoy a good cup of coffee.
“We thought there might be a market for this,” Yvonne said in an interview with Blank Slate Media. “A lot of newer families are moving in and feel that there was a lack of a good cup of caffeine.”
Humble Cafe on Hillside Avenue had its grand opening on Dec. 3 and was welcomed with a “crazy amount of support” from the community, Lo said. Opening the cafe was an idea that started from wanting to get out of their comfort levels, the first-time business owner said.
After a soft opening in November with shorter hours, Lo said she has been able to see the learning curve it takes to operate a cafe, whether it be knowing how many pastries to get for the week or how many gallons of milk are necessary for busier parts of the day.
“We realized, after the first day really, this is what we expect,” Lo said.
Lo, who is a member of the Center Street PTA in the Herricks School District, said her husband and kids put potential names for the cafe on a whiteboard in their house, with nothing sticking out.
It wasn’t until scrolling social media before bed that she came across a post of a woman speaking about the importance of being humble when the idea came into their minds.
“The word just kept repeating itself,” Lo said of the post. “And we decided that’s a really good name for us because it fits really well.”
Since opening up, customers have complimented the aesthetic of the cafe, which Lo said she and her husband designed themselves instead of opting for an interior designer.
“Someone said when they come in and have a cup of coffee, he feels like he was sitting in my kitchen,” Lo said. “Something very homey, very cozy, that’s what we were going for.”
Humble Cafe’s coffee beans are roasted in a commercial-use Bellwether machine, the same company that also supplies them, which can also be sold in individual blends.
Lo said aside from serving drinks the cafe offers customers coffee beans that are roasted in Williston Park with a very small carbon footprint.
Moving forward as the cafe establishes its footing, the Lo’s will reach out to suppliers about delivering beans to the village and work toward putting together a house blended, Yvonne said.
Aside from the regular business, the cafe has also hosted latte art workshops, a floral workshop with a local artist and rents space on the weekends for private parties.
“We want to be here because we want to give back to the community,” Lo said. “We want to see Williston Park grow.”
Humble Cafe is located at 322 Hillside Avenue and is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
