What We Believe In: Craft and Care at Internet Garden

Boutique Inspiration from Exarchia, Athens

While strolling around Exarchia in Athens last week, three small boutiques caught our eye:

1. Giannis Konstantinidis Hair Salon (Didotou 16)

2. Erastirion pottery studio (Zaimi 31-33)

3. Frida café Εξάρχεια (Char. Trikoupi 72)

Frida café is especially close to our hearts. When we first visited in September 2024, we immediately realised, "This is the best Freddo cappuccino! Not only in Athens but likely in the world." The café sits on a busy Exarchia street, full of cars and buses slowly making their way, locals smoking and talking about life, while the police stand around bored at the corner.

After returning to Switzerland in September, we couldn't forget about the coffee. So much so that we returned to Athens after three months, in November (yes, the Freddo cappuccino is that good). More surprisingly, once we entered, the owner remembered us. Not just our faces, but also our order. We didn't expect that, and this gesture gave us such a warm feeling, as if we returned home. This third time, too: when the owner saw us, she said, "Ah, I know you!" and gave us exactly what we wanted.

The Spirit of Exarchia

This time, we spent ten days in Exarchia, Athens. It is one of our favourite neighbourhoods in Europe. Exarchia is known for its rich history of socialism and anarchism, its deeply alternative spirit, and its community of intellectuals and artists: value-driven, warm-hearted people. It may seem rough on the surface, completely covered with graffiti.

Fredd's sister does not like it for this fact. But we started to believe that this graffiti acts as a layer of protection, to preserve the local culture and keep tourists away. It feels like a barrier to protect and preserve authenticity.

Every time we visit Exarchia, we feel inspired. Especially by this authenticity. The boutiques above are all different, but when we are in these stores, we feel their intentional care for details. The product is authentic: high-quality, crafted with care. And the communication is authentic: when interacting with them, it's personal, and we feel like guests or family, not just customers.

Our Vision for Internet Garden

We want Internet Garden to be such a boutique.

We don't want to be a "hot" startup chasing hyper-growth through VC investments and trying to dominate a massive market. We want to be a small, specialised boutique offering high-quality products for a specific niche. We want to make powerful tools with love and care that genuinely help people. We want to make conscious, not rushed, decisions.

We want to always be there for our customers (as we wish for the coffee shop and other boutiques in Exarchia) so they can always return. The customer can rely on us, just as we rely on the consistently great taste of Freddo cappuccino from the café. (Offering great coffee every time must be challenging, from our experience as customers!)

We want to help a community for bootstrappers and indie hackers who care about making things that matter—people who believe in making a positive impact. We want to create a place where you can be yourself, create what you believe in, and thrive.

These are our visions for Internet Garden; we're heading towards them.

We hope you found this reflection interesting. If you want to share your thoughts, feel free to reach out!