Fair Trade, Eco-Conscious Cafe/Shop/Nail Salon The Social Space

Delicious coffee, eco-friendly cleaning products, socially conscious homewares and a green nail salon all in once place? Yes, please! Here’s the lowdown on the cool new Social Space

With Earth Day fast approaching, this Sassy Mama was over the moon to check out the new The Social Space cafe & fair-trade retail shop, which opened earlier this month.

Consider yourself warned, mama: you will be tempted to while away many an afternoon at this incredible multi-concept space on Kreta Ayer Road on the outskirts of bustling Chinatown. Not only is the cafe a beautifully designed space – think cool and laid-back Balinese dream – but it also encompasses everything that is great about fair trade, as it’s both eco-friendly and socially conscious.

Read More: Checking out Unpackt, Singapore’s First Zero-Waste Grocery Store

From the moment that I arrived, I was greeted by a warm, friendly and super helpful staff. Owners Daniel & Cheryl Ou have created an amazing space that they should be very proud of; between the delicious coffee, gut-happy Mad Alchemyst kombucha (soon to be on tap) and food, this is the perfect new lunch spot in town. Top tip: This Sassy Mama loved the Mushrooms and Cheese on toast. So yummy.

Make sure to check out the gorgeous handmade mugs and saucers while sipping your delicious flat whites and teas. They are made by Center Pottery, a social enterprise that promotes therapeutic effects of mental health right here in Singapore. Proceeds from the beautiful pieces go towards funding pottery sessions for patients with mental health issues, terminally ill patients and the elderly. Now that is a cuppa I can get behind.

After you finish your morning tea head over to the retail space by the front door and check out the ethical Fair Trade section. There are tons of high quality, fair trade and eco- and socially conscious products available for purchase. But our favourite part of the shop has to be The Refillery Station.

Bring in your own bottles or purchase in-store and fill up on reasonably priced and environmentally friendly personal care products, pet shampoo, surface and floor cleaners, and our personal favourite — the dishwashing liquid made from fruit enzymes. It’s made by a local company that collects fruit waste from hawker centers around Singapore and then uses it to make all of these fabulous natural and eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Talk about a win win for everybody! Remember to help out Mother Earth and bring in your own containers. Low waste for life!

Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any better, right before I left I found out that they will be opening up a socially conscious Nail Salon using only non-toxic nail polish at the end of May. There is seriously something for everyone. Well done, The Social Space. This Sassy Mama will be back (again and again)…

Opening Hours: 8am to 6pm, Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays)

The Social Space, 333 Kreta Ayer Road, #01-14, Singapore, [email protected], www.instagram.com/thesocialspace.sg