FOR so many people, starting up their own business is a dream come true.

This is very much the case for Doe Mehmet, owner of Expresso Yourself in Brighton.

However for Doe, the opening of his dream coffee shop came at a turbulent time.

Karen Goodwin spoke to him about turning sadness into joy and the touching dedication that lies behind his new store.

AN ENTREPRENEUR has dedicated his newly opened pop-up coffee shop to the memory of his father.

Just hours after his dad Ahmet Mehmet passed away, Doe Mehmet got the go-ahead for his new start-up.

It’s been an intense time for the entrepreneur, whose cafe, Expresso Yourself, opened earlier this month on the corner of New England Road.

The pop-up coffee shop is the latest addition to the ‘container village’ on former derelict scrap metal site Cobbler’s Thumb.

“Two years ago, the idea was to take unit 3 which was a potter’s workshop and revamp it into a music studio – I’m a singing and voice coach,” Doe says, while warming up a deliciously lemony Borek pastry.

With the help of business partner Petros Sklias, Bada Music has now grown into four units, creating a space for struggling artists and students to practise.

Doe cites his dad, a veteran Brighton restaurateur, as the inspiration for this latest venture.

Ahmet told him: “You put some chairs outside, build a community, people will come and chat to you about your music business.”

Doe was sceptical at first and admits he didn’t always agree with his dad: “I’m the son of a Mediterranean hot-head! We used to go at it quite a bit.”

However, he decided to take his dad’s advice and Espresso Yourself is styled on the Mediterranean community ethic, where people exchange news and ‘don’t have to wait for good quality coffee’ or a hot pastry.

Before opening the shutters for the first time, Doe visited his dad’s grave and urged him: “Prove me wrong again dad – please.”