The
Hackney.
How a tired car mechanic's shop on Hackney Road became one of East London's award-winning wedding and events venues. Three friends, a love of coffee, and a building with good bones.
The Building.
The building has been in our friend Kevin’s family for generations. His grandad had it first, then his dad ran it as a car mechanic’s shop on Hackney Road for years. When his dad retired, the three of us - me, my brother James and Kevin - saw something in it.
It was a mess. But the bones were good. High ceilings, exposed brick, a proper East London building with history going back to the 1860s.
Hackney Coffee Company.
Years earlier, James and Kevin had travelled through South America and came back with a thing for speciality coffee. They always talked about doing something with it. In 2015 we did. We opened Hackney Coffee Company, the first speciality coffee house on Hackney Road. Just the three of us figuring it out.
Over the years we renovated more of the building. Small profits went back into the next room, the next wall, the next floor. A lot of the building work we did ourselves. It was slow. Events started happening. Then bigger events. Then some of the biggest brands in the world were hiring the venue. In 2022 we rebranded to The Hackney to reflect what it had actually become.
If you're not having fun with it, what's the point.
What It Is Now.
The Hackney is an award-winning cafe-bar and events space in East London. We still serve some of the best coffee in the area, alongside craft beers, cocktails and natural wines. We’ve hosted over 400 weddings and the venue regularly runs private dinners, corporate off-sites, birthday parties and everything in between.
There are probably faster ways to grow a business. Bigger ways. But looking back, we’ve watched over 400 couples get married, seen people celebrate the moments that matter, and worked with some genuinely great people along the way.
It's been a great journey.