In today’s post-pandemic world, inflation and rising costs aren’t making life any easier. For young dreamers, starting a business can feel like firing a rocket that just won’t launch. Sky-high shop rentals, in particular, are keeping brilliant ideas on the ground, making what should be a life-changing first step almost impossible to take.
Starting Small From Home With Big Dreams
Out of this struggle, home-based businesses have taken off as the more viable alternative for young Singaporeans who are still holding on to their business dreams. The appeal is clear: no sky-high rent, no crushing monthly bills, just the freedom to start small from the comfort of home. What once felt out of reach now feels achievable, even hopeful.
Within the walls of HDB flats, shelved passions are being dusted off. With doors now open to home-based businesses, these young Singaporeans are turning their passions into ventures. And in the process of fulfilling their dreams, they rediscover what makes them happiest, right where they live.
Some may want to push their dream further and open a shop one day, but many are happy to keep it small and homegrown. For them, it’s not about scaling into chains or stacking up piles of profit. It’s about the simple joy of doing what they love: sharing bakes, brewing drinks, and connecting with everyday people who walk through their doors, so they go home a little happier.
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Pouring Passion to Fill Every Home-Brewed Cup With Joy
And that’s when home-based cafes are springing to life across the island—each one carrying its owner’s story, their own flavour, and their passion:
After years trapped in a draining job, Grace Teo of Brew with Grace got her first taste of coffee at a home pottery studio, and it was love at first sip. That calm, comforting moment brewed the idea for her own home-based cafe in Sengkang—a space to serve the same warmth to everyone who walks in. True to its name, her cafe moves at its own pace, with a menu of drinks she loves and wants to share. In creating this space, she found a second shot at hope and the happiness she thought she’d lost in her old job.
On the other block, Tris Su’s matcha obsession and love for hosting whisked her Bedok kitchen into Tofu Tofu, a home-based cafe steeped in green tea and good vibes. Running it from home lets her brew on her own schedule, keeping the balance sweet between work, family, and friends. From experimenting with different matcha powders to mastering the microfoaming technique, every cup tells the story of her joy from the passion that started it all.
Then there’s Ms LX, across the island in Punggol. That day at a tiny bar in Bangkok made her wonder if she could bring that same cosy vibe back to her neighbourhood. After a year of tinkering with beans, brewing methods, and matcha ratios, That Day At Home was born, a home-based cafe she proudly calls her passion project. Through passion, she pours joy into each drink, crafting moments that connect her community.
Building Homes Into Talk of the Block
Making a dream come true is one thing, but trying to stand out in Singapore’s jam-packed cafe scene, tucked away in an HDB? That’s a whole different story. Some, however, have found a way to turn their homes into hotspots, with the power of TikTok.
Take Tofu Tofu, for example. It started small, just 20 orders over three days after its first launch. But a viral TikTok clip transformed her home into a go-to hangout for matcha lovers. By the next opening, orders had shot past 100, and she had to switch to a pre-order system to keep up with the 40-cup-a-day rush. TikTok didn’t just boost sales. It also gave her the reach most home-based cafes could only dream of. This let her share her matcha joy far and wide—all without a flashy storefront.
And Ground Floor Coffee shows just how a homegrown business dream doesn’t stay on the ground floor. It goes further, with TikTok as the launchpad. What began as Adhwa Hasif’s home-based cafe in Pasir Ris went viral for its clever concept of serving coffee right from his windows. Even after closing in 2023, the buzz lingered. By 2024, that humble hole-in-the-wall had grown into a full-fledged takeaway cafe at East Village Mall. Proof that with TikTok, even a dream brewed at home can grow bigger, and the taste of happiness? It’s sweeter than ever.
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Living the Dream & Happiness Never Tasted Sweeter
At the heart of it, these HDB home-based cafes aren’t just businesses. They’re dreams realised, passions unshelved, and happiness rediscovered right at home. TikTok gave them the push to lift off that first step into a life-changing journey, turning kitchens and living rooms into hotspots and talk of the block. Some even stepped out of their windows into actual shops in malls. Whether they stay small and homegrown or grow into bigger spaces, the joy is the same: doing what they love and making themselves and others smile along the way.
Go grab a cup at these homes, taste the passion, and soak up the happiness for yourself. And if happiness is the secret ingredient you’re after, The Market Society is where you’ll find it brewing. Hit us up at @themarketsociety for yumcha!