Beyond The Coffee
Coffee Shops can be wonderful places to sit and people watch, or to cat with a friend over your favorite brew of the day. But what can be added to to a coffee shop to enhance the ambiance of the shop, and make customers truly enjoy their visit?
One of my favorite coffee shops of all time was a little place where I used to live that was run by a woman who lived in the area. It was not a chain or franchise, just the one small shop that was full of charm and warmth. Not only could you get a great cup of coffee, but also some fresh flowers or a used paperback book.
When you went inside this little coffee shop, you were embraced with the aroma of coffee, the warmth of comfy but not necessarily matching, furniture, the bouquets of colorful flowers, and the shelves of inviting paperbacks waiing to be bought for just .50cents.
The fact that it was located next to a laundromat was at first important, I thought, as it was a haven of comfort to wait while your clothes were being washed, but I soon realized that I enjoyed stopping in at the coffee shop even without laundry to get done next door.
I have moved and no longer can visit that little coffee shop, but I think of it almost every time I stop at Starbucks or some other coffee shop.