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When you say you see it happening in your town, are you referring to an urban or suburban area? Not trying to contradict you here, just legitimately curious. I
by jrs95 8y ago
When you say you see it happening in your town, are you referring to an urban or suburban area? Not trying to contradict you here, just legitimately curious. I would think more of the local coffee shop customer would go to this sort of place rather than a Starbucks customer, if I had to guess.
- jimmy1 8y agoIt's a fair question -- I live in a suburban town, but I spend a lot of time in the urban center. Thinking of it from this perspective I would say the local bookstore revival is coming to the suburbs, and the coffeeshop quasi bookstore trend is more urban.
- ethbro 8y agoIf one were smart, that would be the obvious chink in Starbuck's business model: create a chain of neighborhood-aware, individualized, community-focused coffee shops / bookstores / office-lite / meeting place. Essentially blend Starbucks, WeWork, Half-Priced Books, FedEx Print & Ship with hyperlocal zine creation and publishing. Offer logistics support and deals to franchisees, then let them be unique. Starbucks wouldn't be able to compete, because they've essentially defined themselves as "We're the same, wherever you go." Your moat would be the social integration of place and community. And you'd actually be inspiring local creation instead of corporate consumption. Call it 'Nubucks', slap a shoe logo on there, and make a billion dollars and a better country.
- shanghaiaway 8y agoSomething like that yes, but they would be high price because supporting corporate overhead requires high margins