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[NF] Building a Coffeehouse

Lux

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What do you guys think about adding fine wines, and champaign(ia) after hours? Say, no kids from 10:00p-1:30am for Late Night musicians or comedians?

I managed a coffeeshop in a small bookstore for a few years. Some of the best things about it (which people already mentioned) were there was always only classical music on (softly) it was background, it was great to work to, and it set a very nice tone I think. They used real mugs for people drinking there, not throwaway cups. We served sandwiches, pastries, anything a restaurant would have to drink, (oh we had this fresh squeezed orange juice that was amazing!) and beer and wine. It was never a problem with kids we just carded them.
 

BlackCat

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ADDITION: Thanks Protean! How can I guard against people trying to watch porn in my business? I still wanna let them bring in their laptops, but that's not acceptable.

When you get your WiFi set up, I know that there is a way to block certain ports from being accessed, thus blocking certain sites etc from being accessed. Or you could get one of those filters and filter out only pornography.
 
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Sniffles

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I'd image it looking like this:
4191389.jpg


With good quality coffee and tea, good soft music(classical, jazz), fine art on the walls, relatively quiet and peaceful. Decent selection of books. No Hipsters! Overall a very relaxing and cultured atmosphere.
 

TopherRed

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Peguy! Always an honor to have you post. It may indeed have those elements incorporated, but much larger then that room. I'm thinking about incorporating some bright stained glass windows that will follow the sun over the building, but that might get expensive. Still, it'd look awesome.

To Blackcat: Good idea with the filter, I think that's the direction I'm going to head for.
 

poppy

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My favorite coffee shop was this place in my hometown (eh, one of my hometowns) called Cafe Mundo. It was originally a little dinky coffee hut thing in a yard full of kooky junk (like old sculptures and trinkets and mismatched tables and wood stoves). Then they built a proper building, which took up some of the yard. I thought that was kind of a shame, because I always liked how nutty it was, but the building was great...light-colored wood floors and a second story loft so you could look down at the lower level, with one of those pulley-system things (you know, you crank the wheel and the basket goes up...please somebody tell me what this is called, I know it's got a name...) for moving things from the kitchen to the second story. Lots of tables (covered in mosaics and crazy paintings) and a little stage in one corner of lower level, very airy and comfortable. The bathrooms had chalkboard walls, and the whole place was owned and operated by hippies. Oh and they had amazing food.

Sheesh. Why am I not there right now again?

EDIT: Thanks Z Buck McFate for telling me that those pulley things are called dumbwaiters.
 

thinkinjazz

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Really strong coffee and friendships with the people that work there = ). Good food and pastries- everything has to be home made and there has to be seasonal stuff (hot apple cider, hot chocolate, etc.) and sangria and local wine and beer. I also like when the ppl that work there have favorites so I know they're not BSing me. A fireplace and live music (good stuff- v. bad folk music that I usually hear). I also love when they have a library with real books in them = P. And maybe the occasional after hours community night (i.e. movie and a potluck) where people just come to have fun or to fund-raise for a cause (buying cows for families in Darfur).
 

TopherRed

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So...

Here's What I've Got So Far...
  • Incorporate Book Store/Library
  • Incorporate Art Gallery
  • Quality Coffee is Essential
  • Free, Passwordless Wi-Fi is Essential
  • Community Journalling--A Cool Idea Where People Write Down Their Favorite Quotes or Movie Reviews and Things for the Community to Read
  • Best Community Quotes Appear On Large Flat Panel Display (In Place of Bulletin Board). The Best of the Best Get Put on Mugs and Cups.
  • Employees Trained to Always Give People the Choice Between a Mug or a Disposable, Biodegradable Cup; Bill it as "Environmentally Friendly" Either Way.
  • Espresso is to be Offered, and Espresso Needs to be Made Correctly by Someone With Experience Making Espresso.
  • Baked Goods Should Be Made Onsight, For the Smell, but Also for Freshness.
  • An Abundance of Power Outlets is Necessary--It's Okay to Plug In Here.
  • Incorporate Alcoves and Quiet Places for People to be Alone With Their Thoughts and to Study.
  • Big, Open, Center Spaces.
  • Private Meeting Rooms!
  • Blinds Opened Enough to Let the Light in, but Not Enough to be Stared at From the Outside--or Reflective Windows, Either Way.
  • Take Advantage of the Green Angle (Generally), but Don't Overdo It So Only Bitniks Show Up.
  • Take Advantage of the Local Angle (Generally), as People Take Pride in Food Grown/Processed/Extracted Locally.
  • Lots and Lots of Big Comfy Chairs, Recliners, Coaches, and Loveseats Intersparced Throughout.
  • Decent Music (Classical Suggested Repeatedly, also Modern Classical), Played SOFTLY in the Background.
  • Alternative Drinks--Like Italian Sodas and Flavored Milks (Need More Ideas About This One).
  • Alternative Magazines (Such As?).
  • Chess Sets Available Upon Request.
  • Sky Lights/Stained Glass Windows.
  • Outdoor Patios with Stages!
  • Indoor Grand Stage.
  • Freshly Squeezed Juices (Local Angle+Environmentally Friendly Fruit-Farm)
  • Sandwhiches, Pastries, and a Constantly Changing Food Menu, Keeping Favorites, Banning Others
  • Open-Mic Nights (Poetry, Comedy...)
  • Karyoke!!
  • Movie Nights with Projector Screen in an Alcove.

I REALLY appreciate all the ideas, please feel free to add to them, and also to expand any of them.
 

avolkiteshvara

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No Hipsters!

Unavoidable. Comes with the territory.



[*]Lots and Lots of Big Comfy Chairs, Recliners, Coaches, and Loveseats Intersparced Throughout.

This can work against you as the place gets more popular. One of the reason popular restaurants have uncomfortable chairs is to get you out so you dont linger. Table turnover. If it gets too popular, you can artificially expand by putting in hard chairs.

You can't do all these things though. You probably have to pick an angle and just go with it. I mean you are selling coffee. You can afford to finance a remodel with private rooms, couches, stained glass, etc.
 

TopherRed

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avolkiteshvara said:
You can't do all these things though. You probably have to pick an angle and just go with it. I mean you are selling coffee. You can afford to finance a remodel with private rooms, couches, stained glass, etc.

The point is to create a cultural hub Avolk, and the idea is to make enough money so as to be able to afford those things, to make it an even better cultural hub, to make even more money et cetera. I will be creating a much narrower list for the first cafe, from this one to start with.

I definitely understand what you mean by the softer chairs slowing the turnover rate. The idea is that the chairs will be put throughout the bookstore, but the cafe, like in many Barnes & Noble Starbucks I've seen, will have the characteristically hard chairs, so that people who aren't able to find a softer place to sit, will probably want to leave faster, and then continue to envy those who always seem to get the chairs, and come back again at an earlier time so they get a spot; the point is, they keep coming. I eventually plan on having a restaurant full of hard chairs, and "ordering panels" nearby all the softer ones, so that people who want a snack, don't have to get up for it (that's what the waitresses are for), and keep purchasing my food/books.

Not necessarily. Many of the coffehouses I go to don't have them.

So...what exactly is a hipster?
 
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Sniffles

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So, NO HIPSTERS. What exactly is a hipster? I'm picturing a long haired dude from the 60s, wearing flowing loose clothing, rose colored glasses and a pony-tail.

You're close:
jeansdm3003_468x417.jpg


Basically spoiled middle-class brats who fashion themselves unconventional "artists" because they can doodle a few lines on napkins, are into progressive politics, don't know how to cut their hair properly, listens to awful Indie music, into New Age "spirituality"(ie stuff Oprah approves of), hates whitey(nevermind they ARE white themselves), and so on.
 

TopherRed

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Ah, gotcha. I hate them too. No chance of them working for me, and if I catch them hanging around smelling like hash, I will just have to find some creative ways to move them. :)

Note: This may be harder to do with the art gallery...
 
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Sniffles

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Lux

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So...what exactly is a hipster?

Hipster; A person who thinks they are really really awesome. As in they're so cool that by you coming up and placing an order you are bothering them, because it takes time away from them thinking how incredible they are. They tend to be younger and think their music/fashion/art/books/films etc. taste is perfect.
 

TopherRed

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Hipster; A person who thinks they are really really awesome. As in they're so cool that by you coming up and placing an order you are bothering them, because it takes time away from them thinking how incredible they are. They tend to be younger and think their music/fashion/art/books/films etc. taste is perfect.

ISTPs?
 

poppy

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You guys forgot to mention the whole "will do anything as long as they can pass it off as 'ironic'" thing. Sweatbands and scrody mustaches? Sure, those are ironic. Smoking cigarettes and drinking PBR? How anti-establishment!

I guess they're the new beatniks or something.


Poor ISPs. They can't help themselves.


Anyway, awesome-good luck on the coffee house thing. Very cool.
 

TopherRed

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Oh Poppy, all I'd really need to do is immortalize you in stained glass...I wouldn't have to worry about serving anything, people would pay me to see it. ;):D
 
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