Here's a few bits of advice for coffee entrepreneurs, with love from someone who spends lots of time in lots of coffee shops.
1. Variance in table size. But mostly, big tables.
If I've crammed my whole dorm room into a backpack to move out for the day, I'm going to need a huge table, please.
2. Good dishes. Aka, if your coffee shop doesn't have the minimalist aesthetic, you should not have plain white mugs. Why? Because if your coffee shop is cozy, a plain mug is just a dish, when it could be so much more—an indicator of your aesthetic, a benefit to the vibes, a boon to your insta game.3. Don't sell homely art.
I was going to say don't sell any art, but Three Bros. Coffee in Nashville sells art and makes it work. But most of the time, selling art means selling the ability to build your own aesthetic. Someone else's canvas paintings of apples or pastures or cheese boards hung with little price tags does not count as your own aesthetic.
Coffee shops are all about vibes. Choose yours carefully; cultivate what you put on your walls as carefully as you cultivate all those fancy places you get your coffee from. I can say almost without reservation: no canvas art. Please.
But this doesn't mean you can't support local artists through your shop. Sell their items by your register, or in one specific area. Or, like Three Bros., make the design of your whole shop a canvas for the artists you feature, and be picky. Make sure the art says what you want your coffee shop to communicate to people who come in.
4. Have something for everyone. Yes, you are a coffee shop, so you'd better have good coffee. But you'd also better have sugar coffee (mochas, caramel lattes, etc.), because that's all I drink (and it's all about me). But honestly, you will have a more well-rounded clientele if you have well-rounded options to choose from. So have some food, snacks, treats, drinks for kids, etc.
5. Yummy cookies.
This is a elaboration on the previous point, and it really is more of a personal note than the other ideas. But please, make sure you have yummy cookies. That's a selling factor. That's what I think about as I'm leaving campus: what cookie do I want?
There's much more to running a successful coffee shop, but those are a few plebeian thoughts on the issue. What would you add to the list?
Charlie
