More Than Work - Has on a Podcast!
- hshah93
- Jun 9
- 7 min read
Welcome back to the Cleaners & Coffee blog! This week, we're taking you through some of the highlights of Has' episode of More than Work with Rabiah Coon!
Rabiah is one of our clients, who runs an amazing podcast, More than Work, that focuses on unique individuals and how they've found their own values and identity outside of the workplace, and in turn reflect that back into their careers. Has and Rabiah sat down to discuss Has' professional background and inspiration for Cleaners & Coffee, and made the only podcast I've ever enjoyed.
Has Lore: Back to the Beginning
They start by going into Has' life before Cleaners & Coffee-- born in London, he attended military school in Pakistan from ages 8-12, then moved back to the UK. Has skipped university and went straight into commercial business and fashion retail, getting hands-on experience across Europe working with Hugo Boss.
Although he is a classic Londoner (says "innit" and everything) Has reflected on his time in Pakistan and its impact on him, noting how "the upbringing that I had in Pakistan probably has taught me values which are the reason why we have successful businesses right now."
Looking on his teenage years, Has remembers spending every spare moment in his dad's shop, working over school holidays and weekends to help the business. He notes how this focus on hard work and effort define his work ethic as an adult, or as he once told me, "I'll never relax. Why relax?"
Kaz: How We Got Here
One of the most impressive things about Kaz is his relentless determination to do. Whether it's tinkering as a mechanic, electrician, plumber, or contractor, he approaches every task with a resolute determination. With six children to provide for, he started working part-time at a dry cleaners to gain work experience before jumping into his own venture. Kaz opened Crowndale Dry Cleaners in 2003, working six days a week, all year, every year.
"Part of the reason why I consider myself quite hard-working is because of seeing how he’s applied himself to his business.”
No one tell Kaz that Has said this, he'll never let it go.
Over the years, Kaz built his own community, becoming a fixture to the residents of Crowndale Rd and beyond. We reckon it's because of how painfully genuine he can be-- "He’s very honest, sometimes a bit too honest, but I think people appreciate that”
Has and Kaz teamed up to create Cleaners & Coffee in 2021. Kaz's experience behind the machine, Has' passion for coffee, and his acute sense of "how to make people look good, how to make things look good" set them up to achieve greatness.
How We Do It
Has and Rabiah also discuss some of the driving principles behind Cleaners & Coffee, and how we like to do things. Has put it perfectly when he describes what we're all about -- atmosphere and community. Our shops become social spaces for the local community in their own unique way, and hold incredible personal meaning and purpose for each of the team members in different ways.
“I’m very blessed to have a team that is very united in what we do, everyone understands the ethos, everyone understands that we’re a community hotspot, and they’re all working towards that same goal."
For Has, watching the community his father built during his childhood was crucial to his understanding of what brings meaning to life. Today, he builds on that same understanding side by side with his dad.
"It doesn’t really matter who you are, you can come in and we’ll find a way to communicate with you”
We love working with new people and seeing new faces, something Has briefly touches on when he describes his love for bringing people together and getting out into the streets. Anyone who's met Has would agree he's a people person, and that's something we all relate to and prioritize in our day-to-day.
“For me, I’ve always felt that if you’re walking into our shop, you should have an experience. An experience is everything.”
Why Coffee?
This is a question we get a lot, as dry cleaning and specialty coffee are seemingly polar opposites upon first glance. Ultimately, it comes down to passion.
Has mentions always loving espresso, from his teenage years, and developing his palette and taste for specialty coffee over a number of years. Following a deep dive into home brewing during the pandemic, he noted: “actually, I’m pretty good at making coffee at home."
After a brief period of playing around with the idea of a coffee shop in his dad's dry cleaners, the name Cleaners & Coffee came to mind.
"It just stuck.” (not Coffee & Cleaners!!!)
I often half-joke with customers that Has started this whole thing for the chance to play with an industrial espresso machine, and he confirms this intrinsic passion and love for what he does, saying:
“We’ve probably made thousands of flat whites, but I’ll never stop enjoying making a flat white. It’s just the most therapeutic task for me.”
Just over halfway through the podcast, Has gives a little love to our roastery, Penelope Coffee. Another family business, their commitment to traceability in the global coffee chain is unparalleled, one of my favorite things about them. These shared values brought us together with Giancarlo and Michelle, and their small batch roastery produces incredible, high-quality beans, ranked top 10 in the UK.
Dry Cleaning: The Inside Scoop
Towards the end of the podcast, Rabiah asks Has what some of the most difficult things to dry clean are. A lot of people would say one of one pieces, vintage, mohair, silk, etc., but not Has. In classic Cleaners & Coffee fashion, he says it's the high emotional value pieces that feel the most high stakes, as he understands the sentimentality our clothes can hold, and respects being entrusted with them.
“I think sometimes the sentimentality of the item, the preciousness of the item-- that probably makes it a little bit harder to treat. We take everything we do very seriously”
We've cleaned pretty much anything you can imagine over the last 20 years, but it's not the physically delicate items that stick in your mind-- it's the stuffed animals, the inherited pieces in dire need of repair and refresh, and other items with story and emotion behind them. I love this shop because of our unique story, but also because of the stories we get entrusted with on a daily basis, and the joy in restoring beloved items.
Rabiah's Fun 5
To close out the podcast, Rabiah asked Has the same five questions she asks each of her guests. Here's what he had to say:
1) What is the oldest t-shirt you have and still wear?
Has actually keeps 15-16 of the same t-shirt in his closet at all times-- the Hugo Boss 3-pack t-shirt, which he's been wearing since he was 18 years old.
I like to joke that his wardrobe is like cartoon character, tons of the same thing, but I guess it's not really that much of a joke...
“Gives me peace to know that I’ve got lots of the same thing."
Okay buddy...
2) If everyday was Groundhog Day, what song would you have your alarm set to play every morning?
Fly Me to the Moon by Frank Sinatra
"It's a classic." Can't argue with that one.
3) Coffee, tea, or neither?
“Coffee. I hate tea. I hate tea. You’ll never see me drink tea.”
I can verify this, Has never drinks tea. Ever.
4) Can you think of a time when you laughed so hard you cried that always cracks you up?
“My people crack me up… Elena, the lady who runs our Camden Road store, she’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met…They know how to make me laugh.”
Okay, I really appreciate this, but also feel like I'm too young and cool to be called a lady. I'm 24, let's all please act like it. Though I will admit, we do all know how to make Has laugh, and it's usually with a joke at his expense.
He explains to Rabiah that one of his favorite weekend activities is the comedy club at House of Koko, but only if he can sit in the front row and get picked on by the comedian. I can confirm this is true, he gets weird and antsy if the group sits anywhere but the front row.
5) Who inspires you right now?
“My friend Ciaran…taught me absolutely everything I needed to know about business, he gives me life advice on the daily, and he’s taught me a lot about community. He still inspires me to this day.”
This one's sweet, he really does love and respect Ciaran.
Closing Remarks
If you haven't already, give Has' episode of More than Work a listen, he inspires and explains some of the driving forces behind Cleaners & Coffee as it started and as it is today. He dives into his childhood experiences and how they shaped him and the business, his dad's backstory, the origins of the shop, behind the scenes dry cleaning info, and some really fun trivia about himself and the shop. It's only half an hour, and you'll be better off for it.
I'll finish with what Has said when asked what advice he would give listeners:
“I always say, ‘You have to be curious and persevere,’”
All jokes aside, this is excellent advice and something we all try to center in our lives. Has taught me to always keep my "learning cap" on and has been just the push I've needed to keep going when it felt impossible.
He's an inspiration to us all, and his episode with Rabiah is a real joy to listen to-- I can't recommend it enough.
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