ORLANDO, Fla. — One small business in the Mills 50 area has introduced the community to a unique concept — bringing together coffee and art.
A space where the love for coffee and creativity come together. That’s what Quay Hu had in mind when he first opened the Qreate Coffee shop in Orlando in 2019.
“The space here is created by a creator for other creators,” Hu said.
He combined his love for excellent coffee and his passion for creating professional photography into a hybrid location that welcomes creators into the space.
“Creating has just been a big part of my life. Even when I was younger (…) I’ve always been into photography,” Hu said.
He bought his first camera in 2008 to take pictures of his children.
“I just did it more so because I wanted to take pictures of my kids, and from there, it just boomed, and I got pretty good at it.”
The Mills 50 area is a popular location for Asian businesses in Orlando.
“It felt it was the most open and receptive to the concept that we have." Hu explained. "So, I just felt like the people in general in this area would be very open-minded to this type of business.”
At his studio, Hu works with clients in the back, while his team is working at the coffee shop in the front.
While other coffee shops might not be very accepting of people working in their spaces, the staff members at Qreate Coffee love to welcome people into the space. They have power outlets every 6 feet, on the ground, on the walls, fast Wi-Fi speeds and a full-time studio.
“We love people. You know, we want people to stay and work and mingle and create and network. That’s one of our pillars,” Hu said.
Years after opening the Mills 50 spot, they decided to expand and open a second location, this time in the Creative Village.
“It started off a little slow, but now it’s picking up a lot,” Hu said.
It’s a space where the community continues to be a pillar of their business.
“We offer more of a community space where people would want to come hang out, sip on coffee," Hu said. "We also offer food here as well. So, there’s food and drinks.”
With the expansion, more challenges came for Hu, as a small business owner managing two locations in a very uncertain economy.
“As a small business and a business owner like myself, you have to do it all. You have to hire, you have to manage the business, you have to do the marketing, you have to balance your accounting and the money. You’ve got to pay bills as well. So, it’s a lot,” Hu said.
Christine Berk serves as the president of the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida (AACC). The organization helps business owners in the Orlando area overcome the challenges they might face and make connections with other businesses and the community.
“It’s this constant struggle of how do I manage, survive and thrive when there’s constant fluctuations in price or even fear. For example, the tariffs. Are they on? Are they off? (…) How is that going to impact me now? How’s it going to impact me six months from now?” she said.
The AACC has been around for over 38 years, serving 100-200 members.
“We’re here to build community, encourage business growth and development, and be a resource for our partners and our members,” Berk said.
She explains AAPI Month is a celebration of all the different Asian cultures and an opportunity to remember their roots.
“It’s the encouragement of, don’t forget your roots, right? And then pay tribute to, you know, the values that you have, but embrace what’s here and sharing that culture, sharing our culture, sharing our values with the greater community,” Berk said.
For Hu, he said he hopes to continue growing his business and being that space where artists come to create.
“A lot of artists and a lot of creators like to work out of coffee shops. You know, caffeine is what fuels us and gets us going. So, we also like to have meetings there at coffee shops as well. So, it kind of worked out. They do work in hand,” he said.
