RIP: Main Street Coffee House
Aug. 18th, 2008 11:18![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mapsedgeIt was only a matter of time, I guess. To successfully run a coffee shop, you need a friendly, open atmosphere, an environment where people feel welcome. You need to pick and then focus on your target market, and be where they are, or at least be not very far off the path. Lastly, you need good coffee.
After MSCH changed ownership, it lacked all three.
After MSCH changed ownership, it lacked all three.
The Independence Square is not a good location. The closest major street, Noland Rd., is not really on the way to anywhere in particular. 23rd St. is a good I-70 alternate to downtown Kansas City, but it's nearly a mile away to the South. 24 Hwy, likewise an I-70 alternate, a mile North. The Square isn't exactly a destination for heavy weekend traffic, either. A couple of upscale restaurants, pricey boutiques, and a renovated movie theatre haven't done much to revitalize the area, or pull in business to the area.
While not dead, it certainly isn't pulsing with vibrant life.
I know what Lois wanted. When she bought MSCH late last year, she had plans of turning it into an upscale destination. She and her family repainted the walls, installed very nice (though needlessly expensive) lighting, replaced all the tables and hung expensive art work on the walls. Three nights a week, they'd host live music.
All these things she did or set in motion, but it wasn't enough. The people of Independence weren't buying. Lois made the environment there upscale as well, which is to say, snooty. She simply doesn't understand the coffee shop experience.
She drove away younger customers who would come to the coffee shop after school to drink a single cup of whatever and study. People who would come and buy a cup of coffee and sit and chat for a couple hours were discouraged. If you had piercings and ink and loose fitting, jingly clothing, you couldn't expect to be served with a smile.
I guess if you're a student, or a person looking for some time out of the house, or someone with a different aesthetic sense, then your money isn't green enough.
It never worked as a music venue, either. The space was narrow, and the "stage" area right on the path to the bathrooms and supply room. Somewhere along the line, someone, presumably Lois, decided it would be a good idea to add in a baby grand piano. While a beautiful piece of furniture, it filled the stage area and left no room for a band. A good idea...in a larger space.
No open mic nights either. It always had to be a band of some kind, something planned that could be auditioned. Lots of missed opportunities there: open mic nights, yes, can be horrid, but even bad musicians bring their friends, new customers for the shop. And what's wrong with telling someone, "You know, dude, your shit is painful. Wrap it up, and try again next weekend, okay?"
And finally.
The biggest mystery of all to me is: how can you run a coffee shop, and not drink coffee? Lois doesn't care for the drink, and I'm pretty sure she bought her supplies based on price. I saw the "espresso" beans she used in the shop, and while the bag was clearly labeled as such, the beans looked like ordinary ol' coffee beans. They lacked the oily surface and smoky aroma you want from a bean destined to be ground fine, the flavors extracted under 20millibars of pressure.
Her espresso - if you could call it that - had no bite, no character: it was little better than Folgers brewed double strength. How can you fuck up an espresso with a ten thousand dollar espresso machine? Use bad coffee, and never, ever sample your product.
I attempted to explain this to her one day when she solicited my opinion. Her response: Well, no one else is complaining.
And there was her most critical flaw: she asked my opinion, and discarded it. Her customers most certainly were complaining, but not with words. They complained by taking their money to Starbucks. Declining sales is a complaint, and she didn't hear it.
To sum up, she closed several doors to business by simply not understanding the coffee shop business style. I have since said, on more than one occasion to more than one person, that if I had $40,000 laying around, I'd buy the place and see if I could make a go of it. When it changed owners it had a loyal following, and I can't help but wonder if I couldn't lure those people back, and build a new and larger clientelle.
We'll never know, of course. I don' t have that kind of money or that kind of borrowing power. Still, it's fun to fantasize, maybe lay some plans for when my vision isn't good enough to stare at a computer screen for a living.
Jesus...my coffee, Michelle's baking, how could we lose?
Want a good cup of coffee? Come to Bill & Michelle's. They'll set you up right.
While not dead, it certainly isn't pulsing with vibrant life.
I know what Lois wanted. When she bought MSCH late last year, she had plans of turning it into an upscale destination. She and her family repainted the walls, installed very nice (though needlessly expensive) lighting, replaced all the tables and hung expensive art work on the walls. Three nights a week, they'd host live music.
All these things she did or set in motion, but it wasn't enough. The people of Independence weren't buying. Lois made the environment there upscale as well, which is to say, snooty. She simply doesn't understand the coffee shop experience.
She drove away younger customers who would come to the coffee shop after school to drink a single cup of whatever and study. People who would come and buy a cup of coffee and sit and chat for a couple hours were discouraged. If you had piercings and ink and loose fitting, jingly clothing, you couldn't expect to be served with a smile.
I guess if you're a student, or a person looking for some time out of the house, or someone with a different aesthetic sense, then your money isn't green enough.
It never worked as a music venue, either. The space was narrow, and the "stage" area right on the path to the bathrooms and supply room. Somewhere along the line, someone, presumably Lois, decided it would be a good idea to add in a baby grand piano. While a beautiful piece of furniture, it filled the stage area and left no room for a band. A good idea...in a larger space.
No open mic nights either. It always had to be a band of some kind, something planned that could be auditioned. Lots of missed opportunities there: open mic nights, yes, can be horrid, but even bad musicians bring their friends, new customers for the shop. And what's wrong with telling someone, "You know, dude, your shit is painful. Wrap it up, and try again next weekend, okay?"
And finally.
The biggest mystery of all to me is: how can you run a coffee shop, and not drink coffee? Lois doesn't care for the drink, and I'm pretty sure she bought her supplies based on price. I saw the "espresso" beans she used in the shop, and while the bag was clearly labeled as such, the beans looked like ordinary ol' coffee beans. They lacked the oily surface and smoky aroma you want from a bean destined to be ground fine, the flavors extracted under 20millibars of pressure.
Her espresso - if you could call it that - had no bite, no character: it was little better than Folgers brewed double strength. How can you fuck up an espresso with a ten thousand dollar espresso machine? Use bad coffee, and never, ever sample your product.
I attempted to explain this to her one day when she solicited my opinion. Her response: Well, no one else is complaining.
And there was her most critical flaw: she asked my opinion, and discarded it. Her customers most certainly were complaining, but not with words. They complained by taking their money to Starbucks. Declining sales is a complaint, and she didn't hear it.
To sum up, she closed several doors to business by simply not understanding the coffee shop business style. I have since said, on more than one occasion to more than one person, that if I had $40,000 laying around, I'd buy the place and see if I could make a go of it. When it changed owners it had a loyal following, and I can't help but wonder if I couldn't lure those people back, and build a new and larger clientelle.
We'll never know, of course. I don' t have that kind of money or that kind of borrowing power. Still, it's fun to fantasize, maybe lay some plans for when my vision isn't good enough to stare at a computer screen for a living.
Jesus...my coffee, Michelle's baking, how could we lose?
Want a good cup of coffee? Come to Bill & Michelle's. They'll set you up right.
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-18 19:38 (UTC)I always thought about having a coffee shop/game room (i.e. combination of cyber-cafe and LAN party venue)/live music venue that would be open 24 hours. I also thought about a pool hall, since I managed and bounced at one for 4 years. I came very close to buying into one in Mac when we moved out here, but the Eastern Estates kept me too tied up to do anything about it.
I think between you and Michelle you'd have a strong basis for a shop. You should think about it. Differentiation in the market would be key.
Interesting side-note: much to many locals chagrin, many coffee shops see a surge of business when Starbucks moves in closeby because they (Starbucks) can't keep up with the demand and some people get turned off by Starbucks coffee after a while. A rising tide floats all boats, so to speak. Not that I like Starbucks at all (I don't find their coffee tasty in the least). A buddy of mine from Sprint opened a shop in NC after the outsourcing fiasco and had that experience.
- Jeho
no subject
Date: 2008-08-18 20:12 (UTC)I love the coffee shop culture. As I say, if I had $40k sitting around...
Re: starbucks, I don't much care for their house brew, though I don't do brewed coffee so much any more. My principal complaint about their coffee - in my case, cappuchino - is the inconsistency of the product. As a rule, the beans are over-roasted. It's "fast food" coffee drinks, and except in cases of dire need, I've about given up on them.
Should I ever open a shop of my own, I will roast beans on site. I've only been to one shop that did that, and the smell was intoxicating.