Yuliya Maleyeva
Journalist, worked as a director and Chief Editor at IA «VSN», a reporter at IA «Volyn’ News». Graduate of Kyiv Economy School Journalism Centre’s «Economics, markets and data analysis» course. Master of Ukrainian philology.
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Fewer clients, increase in prices, new personnel due to migration, unexpected bills caused by constant power cuts (such as buying a generator or throwing away products gone bad because of unpowered refrigerators) - these are the least of the problems that the coffee shop’s owners Daria and Mykhailo Lazaryevs have to put up with:
- Many people left because of the uneasy circumstances, and it took its toll on the amount of clients. This is certainly difficult from a business point of view because we have rent and obligations to the collective, people need to be paid. But people left and there are fewer guests and smaller income, accordingly.
It is not about the income but blandly about covering the costs
It is difficult to carry out any activity today without positive thinking, which is why «LyaTyuSho» often holds various events - workshops, mini-fairs - where they collect donations for the needs of units fighting on the Kharkiv front, as well as for animal shelters. They also organise online consultations with a psychologist for visitors who follow the café's social media pages.
The story of «LyaTyuSho» began as a souvenir shop. Daria Lazaryeva explains that there were few places in the city where one could buy souvenirs. So, they set up a shop that sold postcards, pins, mugs, T-shirts, tote bags, and other small items. Later, they decided to establish a café here as well, so that tourists and local residents would visit. However, the souvenirs remained:
- We found a space and saw that it could also accommodate a cosy café. We wanted the people of Kharkiv to visit us too.
When we were thinking about the name, we wanted something local, something Kharkiv-like. «Lya», «Tyu» and «Sho» are popular exclamations among the residents of Slobozhanshchyna.
- Our philosophy is the development of domestic tourism. We are located in the historical centre of the city, so we wanted people to be able to learn something about it here, buy souvenirs, and get a guide to Kharkiv. And this idea still excites us. Recently, there have even been more tourists in the city. Now, there is a lot of press, foreigners, but they do not come because they want to enjoy our city. But this idea - to show Kharkiv - still inspires us, - says Darya Lazaryeva.
But to run a business in the conditions that Kharkiv is currently facing, you need to be flexible, Daria emphasises:
- You have to adapt quickly and respond promptly to everything. Last year, we bought a generator, and after that winter, we thought everything would settle down and there would not be any more problems. Unfortunately, that was not the case. For over a month now, Kharkiv has been experiencing constant power cuts, sometimes even outside of the scheduled times. You can not plan anything. The lack of electricity affects literally every process, from people not being able to get to work on time because the electric transport is not working, to constantly having to throw out spoiled food because the power goes out at night and the refrigerators stop working. Financially, this is, of course, very difficult. Emotionally, too.
For me, the people of Kharkiv are the strongest and unbreakable people emotionally and physically
Daria adds that she often has to «turn off the boss mode» because when explosions are echoing in the city, it is completely inappropriate to ask why the day’s earnings are lower - everyone understands the circumstances under which they are working and living.
The situation in the city is constantly changing. Many families have been forced to leave due to the increasing number of shellings. Despite this, the establishment managed to keep prices stable for as long as possible, only raising them relatively recently. What helps is that «LyaTyuSho» collaborates with Ukrainian producers:
- Working with Ukrainian producers is part of our philosophy of support and creating an ecosystem. We do not purchase products from abroad.
And when the Russians bombed the Kofein cafés in Kharkiv on May 6 2024, we encouraged people to support them and bought coffee beans there ourselves. We tried to support our colleagues this way
At the start of the full-scale invasion, 70 per cent of the staff had to be replaced due to the forced departure of employees. Those who remained in Kharkiv are now adapting to the new conditions, so even «work parties» have become thematic. For example, the entire team learned how to apply tourniquets and provide first aid.
Building any business plans in Kharkiv these days is a thankless task because nothing can be predicted, the businesswoman admits:
- Of course, all statistics have dropped, and it’s noticeable. It is difficult to plan anything right now. Over these three years of war, the statistics will vary greatly. In the first year after the full-scale invasion, there were hardly any people, everything collapsed. But if you look at the Autumn of 2023, there was an incredible surge in people returning. Overall, you make monthly plans for income and expenses, but it is all just «a shot in the dark» because, with every explosion, you realise there will be fewer people.
Despite this, «LyaTyuSho» donates a portion of its monthly profits to support the military and those affected by the war. The café also offers a «suspended coffee» service for soldiers (someone buys a coffee but does not drink it, instead «suspending» it for a soldier to enjoy later).
The «LyaTyuSho» cafe-souvenir shop in Kharkiv has been open for over five years now. What used to be large panoramic windows is now replaced with plywood. This Spring Kharkiv has once again faced massive shellings. There have already been two intense strikes next to the coffee shop - literally 20 metres away
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