You may notice some changes in the furniture of the coffeehouse.
As a way to strike a balance between the those patrons interested in enjoying lunch and those who would like take advantage of our "free" wireless to work or study from their second home/office, we have added one long, communal table and a bench, and have bid adieu to our couch. I really have no idea how long that piece of (furniture) has graced the coffeehouse and still don't know what we will do with the fossilized remains of the coelacanth we found in its depths, but immediately after it left the building one could feel a sense of peace and lightness. Really, I'm starting to believe in that feng shui stuff.
Anyways, this is a work in progress. We will purchase another table and more seating, and, with the other table already in place, we plan to have that area of the shop reserved solely for the use of computers. Believe me, we considered many options, and, together with the bookstore's owners, we feel that this is the best way to accommodate our diverse clienteles.
I welcome your comments and suggestions throughout this whole process. I, also, appreciate your understanding that we are a small business limited by our small space. We are working on keeping our coffeehouse vibrant, while intimate, with the warmth that comes from people sharing a meal or hot drink and a conversation.
-jav
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Does it ever occur to you that you're insulting your customers every time you complain about them? I'd spend more money here if you were constantly insulting me.
ReplyDeletet is terrible you feel this way. However, this section of the blog was not the most appropriate forum for voicing your complaints. In the future, please send any general suggestions, complaints, or concerns to coffeehouse@moderntimescoffeehouse.com. I apologize for any affront to your person and hope we can deal with any issues constructively.
ReplyDeleteGood idea about the table, however the table is too thin--people cannot sit across from each other and work, so with computers you can still only seat three people.
ReplyDeleteWe're looking at more furniture and will definitely take your thoughts into consideration. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIn reference to comments one and two, posting some guidelines about how long to linger would be helpful to owner and client alike. I'd suggest they be written in a hospitable tone and focus more on making room for others rather than the penurious nature of those who linger. The new furniture is nice and it's great to have more room. It makes computer users feel welcome, however the new name of the wifi does not. I stayed away for 6 weeks when it was something along the lines of "stop nursing your coffee and get out." Not because I was one of those, but because it appeared those who wanted to stay an hour or two were not welcome, no matter how much they spent. I came back today because I was desperate. I'm happy to see the new furniture and indications computer use is ok. It would be nice to have renewed friendliness too.
ReplyDeleteClearly, there seems to be a confusion and misinterpretation of the changing names of our router. We adopted a model created by a small coffeehouse in Denmark: (http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/cafes-dilemma-can-you-offer-free-wi-fi-and-still-sell-lattes/), as a way of bringing awareness, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, to the struggles a small business has to face in an era inundated with technology. We are expected to offer FREE wireless access, and, even with our small space and large lunch clientele, we do, with the hope that people are courteous enough to other customers trying to find a seat and aware that we are a small business with significant expenses and rising costs.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the router at the time of the anonymous post was "be courteous don't nurse your cup." I thought this was funny and true. In no way are we being unwelcome and asking people to leave. Like the new furniture indicates, we are finding ways of satisfying the needs of lunch-goers and the work-from-home/cafe crowd, without having to ask people to pay for wireless access (GASP!) or shutting off the internet (DOUBLE GASP!).
Right now the router is called "be aware of time online, share a table!" How does this sound?
I think the new table is decent; I agree with a previous commenter that a slightly-wider table would be more efficient, allowing twice as many people to fit.
ReplyDeleteWait, was there really a fish in the couch?
-ben
Hi, great blog, awesome. Really that is awesome post. I have seen some furniture of countries but they are very expensive Mexican Furniture, French Furniture and Spanish Furniture, suggestions are welcome..
ReplyDeleteThese Ikat designs are really inspiring.
ReplyDeleteliving room furniture