Want to start a coffeehouse?

[yendi]

Don't.

(The same, of course, goes for almost any other brilliant retail business idea you have, especially in these times. But along with the other money-sink -- an indie bookstore -- coffeehouses seem to be what half the folks I know dream about running.)

Comments

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Yikes. My retirement dream is a new/used bookstore with coffee bar. I am endlessly doomed. :)

Ditto

[fortunavirilis.livejournal.com]

I wanted mostly used books and rarities for my 'bookstore/coffee lounge'. But I know what the likelihood of success for such an endeavor is.

Alternately, I'd love to give up the urban life and start an artisan cheese making operation.

Yeah- I'm weird...

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

:(

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

My thought has always been to rent a space that you can partition and split between coin-op laundromat and kind of bare-bonesy, but still pleasant coffee shop. It's not like the people are going any place, and coin-ops are, according to urban legend, at least, one of the most profitable businesses, once you get them going.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Or, ya know, be practical and have a regular old laundromat.

[songwind.livejournal.com]

I am not sure I would want to associate coffee in my hindbrain with that bleach-detergent-and-mildew smell of a laundromat.

[fings.livejournal.com]

I've been to Sud'n'Duds, a laundromat/bar, where you could put your clothes in to wash, and then go have a beer and play pool while you were waiting for your clothes to clean.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I did laundry in a place like that when I was in college. It wasn't awesome, but it was better than just a laundymat. It was old when I first got there and was still there when I left town. It's a good business.

[darknbitter.livejournal.com]

me too =(

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

*pout*

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

There'd be no room for the pony, either. :-(

[songwind.livejournal.com]

My friends seem to want to start a hobby farm or a gaming store.

[unquietsoul5.livejournal.com]

Well a 4 year old article by someone who tried it in way too expensive NYC is not exactly what I would consider a perfect place to look for advice.

That said, starting any business right now is a bad idea. And anyone who can't design a business plan and who can't come up with a years operating costs nested away before starting one shouldn't be for sure.

The author of the article was thinking way too small (seating for 25 is insufficient except for a 'commuter cafe' that assumes most customers will not be spending more than 15 minutes in the place.

You need to serve a lot more than just coffee and pastry to get a solid profit margin and a solid line of customers. You need to sell lots of other foods, use all methods of avoiding spoilage (you don't leave food out in the open air), get good wholesalers to get product from, offer other things for extra cost (or lock people into bargain deals so that they have to keep coming back or lose 'value', msking it more 'special club' like).

Combining it with a non-food product line or function can also work well... if it's the right product or service. That's why every School & Public Library in Seattle has a cafe or expresso shop inside them, as do many hair dressers. And why many cafes also have performance space (venus for which the charge admission beyond the coffee for performers of various types).

New York is a bad market to do this in (especially with the number of Starbucks you have to compete with). Opening businesses into a recession is just foolish.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

Yes. You gotta have a business plan, not a coffee plan.

[sage-and-sea.livejournal.com]

I actually think the laundromat is a great idea.

[siliconshaman.livejournal.com]

Hmm... not utterly convinced he's right, and I was thinking of something that would be a tad larger than seating 25 [but divided into nooks to keep it cosy still.]
Not that it's ever likely to happen.

[amokk]

Why don't these people just go work at Starbucks? "Look, someone's already done all the hard work! But screw that, I want to destroy any life I once had by working 120 hours a week!"

[thegreatjohnzo.livejournal.com]

am i the only one whose first thought was:

we should buy a bar!

or am i watching too much how i met your mother?

[libco.livejournal.com]

It's a shame because my neighborhood really needs a coffeeshop!