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I really liked this article. The other thing that could be added to his reconceptualized bookstore is alcohol. There was a time (briefly) in the early 90's when

I really liked this article. The other thing that could be added to his reconceptualized bookstore is alcohol. There was a time (briefly) in the early 90's when bookstores were considered a good place for singles to meet. That was probably an overhyped media story de jure, but some sort of hybrid bar/coffeehouse/bookstore would be my ultimate fantasy nerd/intellectual hangout. I'm not sure how to address various logistical problems, however (spilling beer on books, inventory control in a porous social environment, etc...)

wallflower 17y ago
Another potential business synergy: Laundromats and beer Suds and suds Do your laundry, put it in the dryer, and mingle. For when are we at our most unglamorous yet approachable as when we are folding our underwear? I believe Portland or Seattle had one of these. I've looked into this and there a lot of not-insurmountable hurdles (zoning, licensing, insurance, smells, food safety, and, most importantly, noise/sound proofing)
- DanielBMarkham 17y ago
  I like this idea a lot -- for high-density urban areas, especially those near campus, it could provide a way to do chores and socialize at the same time. Having said that, it also just occurred to me that this idea was the subject of a song a few years back by a group that did a lot of parody songs -- "Confederate Railroad" maybe? (google, google) -- here's a link to a really corny video of the song, for anybody interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrfVw2loEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrfVw2loEc So at the least the idea has been parodied. That's probably a good sign it has legs.
- joe_bleau 17y ago
  These are quite common in college towns.
  - wallflower 17y ago
    What is the experience like? I'd like to not marry a dive bar with a from-the-70s laundromat. Maybe something like a velvetty wine bar with little coasters that blipped out which cycle your wash was in. When your wash was done, you'd go through the airlock into the space-age laundromat (think sushi bar with automated conveyer belts that would help you move your wet clothes to an open dryer).
    - msluyter 17y ago
      There was one near my school. I went there a few times, it was fairly grungy, with cheap decor, beer signs, etc... Laundry room was divided from bar (with plexiglass windows so you could monitor your clothes) and they also had like cheap nachos and other snacks. I think there were TVs with sports. It was ok, but never felt like a place I wanted to spend more time in than I had to. One serious donwnside (for poor college students like me), iirc, was that the machines were more expensive than at regular laundrymats.
    - stcredzero 17y ago
      First off, I'd invest in combined washer/dryer machines. This would eliminate the need for you to move clothes from one machine to another. http://amzn.com/B000QFGY7C http://amzn.com/B000QFGY7C Add a bunch of other automated conveniences, which replicate aspects of a Cafe, gym, bookstore, co-working office, copy center, post office, etc. But have superior design and decor, with attendants onsite to ensure the place stays clean and comfortable. Your "airlock" might be key. Concentrate resources to keep a "core" area with optimum presentation and maximally clean and comfortable. Have these areas separated from the other "utility" areas. Basically, you'd be pooling infrastructure expenses for various conveniences with other users. This sort of thing has happened before. In the old days it was called a "city block." Unfortunately, such infrastructure leaves something to be desired in terms of design. The result is less than optimally clean and convenient. I wonder if there's an opportunity for a new kind of "co-working mall" as infrastructure? Have private-enterprise services compete to provide services, all within a few minutes walk, inside an optimally designed environment? (Perhaps these could start inside Hotels and Airports?)
    - joe_bleau 17y ago
- stcredzero 17y ago
  There was "Sudsy Malone's" in Cincinnati. A terrible place to do laundry! A very dirty, smelly, bar. A very grungy music venue. It was very popular. Don't know if it's still around.
pmjordan 17y ago
They actually have one of these here in Vienna - http://www.phil.info/ http://www.phil.info/ It seems to be more popular among the liberal arts/philosophy crowd than tech geeks, although I've admittedly only been there twice and I'm no good at socialising with random people, so who knows. Normally not my crowd, but I found out about it because it's one of the few places you can hang out where there's no smoking allowed. It's also much quieter (volume wise) than your average bar, which is great for having an actual conversation. Apparently they have regular literary events (readings, whatever); I haven't quite worked out how the book part works, it seems to be somewhere between library and bookstore. Drinks and snacks are a tad pricey though. I haven't yet discovered a hacker/nerd themed bar/cafe, though there's the Metalab http://metalab.at/wiki/English http://metalab.at/wiki/English which is a local hacker space and seems to be quite popular with people who are smarter and way more productive than me.

wallflower 17y ago

Another potential business synergy: Laundromats and beer Suds and suds Do your laundry, put it in the dryer, and mingle. For when are we at our most unglamorous yet approachable as when we are folding our underwear? I believe Portland or Seattle had one of these. I've looked into this and there a lot of not-insurmountable hurdles (zoning, licensing, insurance, smells, food safety, and, most importantly, noise/sound proofing)

DanielBMarkham 17y ago
I like this idea a lot -- for high-density urban areas, especially those near campus, it could provide a way to do chores and socialize at the same time. Having said that, it also just occurred to me that this idea was the subject of a song a few years back by a group that did a lot of parody songs -- "Confederate Railroad" maybe? (google, google) -- here's a link to a really corny video of the song, for anybody interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrfVw2loEc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgrfVw2loEc So at the least the idea has been parodied. That's probably a good sign it has legs.
joe_bleau 17y ago
These are quite common in college towns.
- wallflower 17y ago
  What is the experience like? I'd like to not marry a dive bar with a from-the-70s laundromat. Maybe something like a velvetty wine bar with little coasters that blipped out which cycle your wash was in. When your wash was done, you'd go through the airlock into the space-age laundromat (think sushi bar with automated conveyer belts that would help you move your wet clothes to an open dryer).
  - msluyter 17y ago
    There was one near my school. I went there a few times, it was fairly grungy, with cheap decor, beer signs, etc... Laundry room was divided from bar (with plexiglass windows so you could monitor your clothes) and they also had like cheap nachos and other snacks. I think there were TVs with sports. It was ok, but never felt like a place I wanted to spend more time in than I had to. One serious donwnside (for poor college students like me), iirc, was that the machines were more expensive than at regular laundrymats.
  - stcredzero 17y ago
    First off, I'd invest in combined washer/dryer machines. This would eliminate the need for you to move clothes from one machine to another. http://amzn.com/B000QFGY7C http://amzn.com/B000QFGY7C Add a bunch of other automated conveniences, which replicate aspects of a Cafe, gym, bookstore, co-working office, copy center, post office, etc. But have superior design and decor, with attendants onsite to ensure the place stays clean and comfortable. Your "airlock" might be key. Concentrate resources to keep a "core" area with optimum presentation and maximally clean and comfortable. Have these areas separated from the other "utility" areas. Basically, you'd be pooling infrastructure expenses for various conveniences with other users. This sort of thing has happened before. In the old days it was called a "city block." Unfortunately, such infrastructure leaves something to be desired in terms of design. The result is less than optimally clean and convenient. I wonder if there's an opportunity for a new kind of "co-working mall" as infrastructure? Have private-enterprise services compete to provide services, all within a few minutes walk, inside an optimally designed environment? (Perhaps these could start inside Hotels and Airports?)
  - joe_bleau 17y ago
stcredzero 17y ago
There was "Sudsy Malone's" in Cincinnati. A terrible place to do laundry! A very dirty, smelly, bar. A very grungy music venue. It was very popular. Don't know if it's still around.

pmjordan 17y ago

They actually have one of these here in Vienna - http://www.phil.info/ http://www.phil.info/ It seems to be more popular among the liberal arts/philosophy crowd than tech geeks, although I've admittedly only been there twice and I'm no good at socialising with random people, so who knows. Normally not my crowd, but I found out about it because it's one of the few places you can hang out where there's no smoking allowed. It's also much quieter (volume wise) than your average bar, which is great for having an actual conversation. Apparently they have regular literary events (readings, whatever); I haven't quite worked out how the book part works, it seems to be somewhere between library and bookstore. Drinks and snacks are a tad pricey though. I haven't yet discovered a hacker/nerd themed bar/cafe, though there's the Metalab http://metalab.at/wiki/English http://metalab.at/wiki/English which is a local hacker space and seems to be quite popular with people who are smarter and way more productive than me.