Specialty Coffee Retailer articles from May 2003

Specialty Coffee Retailer archives from May 2003

Tall tales and cocoas. (Editors Note).
May 1, 2003... Each week during the winter months I get together with my neighbors and their children for what is known as a "play date." It's typically six moms, one dad and 14 preschool-aged kids, that take over a house and have it torn apart in the first...

S&D distributes Barnie's. (Brew News).
May 1, 2003... Barnie's Coffee & Tea Company, Inc., Orlando, Fla., announced that it has signed an agreement with Concord, N.C.-based S&D Coffee, Inc., under which S&D will roast coffees for the Barnie's chain and will act as the national distributor of...

Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf expands. (Brew News).
May 1, 2003... Los Angeles-based The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf announced recently plans for expansion into the Philippines. The new partnership was signed with. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Philippines, Inc. to open a minimum of 22 branded stores in five years...

Starbucks buys SBC. (Brew News).
May 1, 2003... Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation in April announced that it will acquire Seattle Coffee Company, which includes the brands Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia, from AFC Enterprises, Inc. Starbucks intends to continue developing...

A sparkling coffee shop is more likely to clean up at the cash register. Make a fresh start this month. (Spring Cleaning).
May 1, 2003... If your shop's cleaning regimen isn't something to brag about, this is the perfect time of year to clean up your act. Plan to conduct a thorough spring cleaning. Then, commit to keeping your coffee shop spick and span until next spring. ...

Evolution of a coffeehouse: the build-out.
May 1, 2003... Finally, the fun begins and all that planning, well, leads to more planning. During this next phase of your evolving coffeehouse concept, the store begins to take shape--quite literally. If planning was important in creating the initial...

Tending bar at the Black Cat: former saloon revived as coffeehouse, vegetarian cafe and gathering place. (Coffeehouse Profile).
May 1, 2003... Black cats have long been associated with bad luck for those who attribute credibility to the realm of the supernatural. But for Hlonore Spickerman and the community of Ashland located on Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior, an encounter with the...

Designing spaces: space planning is no easy trick. Ten retailers talk it up. (Regional Update).
May 1, 2003... Owning a coffeehouse is akin to becoming a jack-of-all-trades. Independent coffeehouse owners tend to start up on a shoestring and end up being the chief cook, bookkeeper, barista and designer. The specialty coffee retailers interviewed this...

Dawson Taylor coffee Boise, Idaho. (Regional Update: Northwest).
May 1, 2003... Dave and Cindy Ledgard named their coffeehouse after their son, Dawson Taylor. Dave Ledgard has been in the coffee business for more than 15 years. He has traveled to producing countries and visited family coffee farms. He wanted to bring the...

Blue Moon Minneapolis. (Regional Update: Northwest).
May 1, 2003... Owners Lisa Berg and Cindy Kangas knew what the name of their coffeehouse would be early on in the planning stages, and it played a role in their design decisions. The space is full of lovely curves, reminding customers of the rounded full and...

Espresso Love Tinley Park, Ill. (Regional Update: Northeast).
May 1, 2003... With nine years in the specialty coffee business to his credit, owner Anthony Healy says he must be doing more things right than wrong. One of the guiding principles Healy has followed in his business has been to be open to change. By watching...

The Coffee grind East Amherst, N.Y. (Regional Update: Northeast).
May 1, 2003... After only a year and a half in the specialty coffee business, Dylan and Stephani Buyskes decided to implement some changes to their store layout. But the need for moving things around came about because they added more food to their menu, not...

Barista's coffee caffe Colorado Springs, Colo. (Regional Update: Southwest).
May 1, 2003... Less than a year ago, when Tom Alexander took over an existing specialty coffee store he wanted to emphasize the coffee rather than the food as the previous owner had done. He changed the name, added more signage and rearranged his counter...

Jo Roc Java Atascadero, Calif. (Regional Update: Southwest).
May 1, 2003... Before Cliff and Lee Hughes opened Jo Roc Java, Cliff had managed two other coffee franchise stores in mall locations. From that experience he knew what he wanted in his own specialty coffee store. It was important to have the correct...

Rivertown Coffeehouse Cafe Rainbow City, ALA. (Regional Update: Southeast).
May 1, 2003... Much labor needed to be expended to turn rented retail space into the Rivertown Coffeehouse Cafe for Jodie and Marty Snow. Redesign included moving walls and removing carpet to lay ceramic tile. The 1,100-square-foot space in a strip mall...

Fair Grinds coffeehouse New Orleans. (Regional Update: Southeast).
May 1, 2003... The Fair Grinds takes its name from the nearby Fairgrounds horse race track, and hints at the type of coffee owner Robert Thompson sells--Fair Trade. The space he moved into about a year ago had a 15-year reputation as a coffeehouse, and...

Kirkie's Coffee Vancouver, British Columbia. (Regional Update: Canada).
May 1, 2003... Since Juliet Felizardo took over Kirkie's Coffee nearly a year ago, she hasn't made many changes to the design or layout of her store. She was very familiar with the workflow and equipment before she purchased the business because she had...

Village Grounds Dorset, Ontario. (Regional Update: Canada).
May 1, 2003... The format of the Village Grounds is changing. Julianne Leak opened her 500-square foot gourmet food retail store three years ago. She specialized in items not available at nearby grocery stores, such as sugar-free, gluten-free or salt-free...

Marketplace. (B-W).
May 1, 2003... BAKED GOODS Arezzo Biscotti Co. (800) 545-7720 www.arezzobiscotti.com Lawrence's Delights (800) 568-0021 www.lawrencesdelights.com Mamma Says Biscotti (973) 283-4463 www.mammasays.com Montione's...

Starbucks stalls in Israel. (Brew News).
May 1, 2003... Starbucks Coffee International and the Delek Group of Israel have announced that they have mutually agreed to end their joint venture in Israel. The decision to dissolve the alliance was reportedly due to ongoing operational challenges in the...

Why did you open Rayjen Coffee Co. seven years ago, and did you originally start roasting for your retail location? (Industry Voices).
May 1, 2003... Ramon Brongil, owner Rayjen Coffee Company www.rayjencoffee.com Q: Why did you open Rayjen Coffee Co. seven years ago, and did you originally start roasting for your retail location? My first specialty coffee store was located in...

Cookies for the coffeehouse: ounce for ounce, cookies are hard to beat for increasing add-on profits.
May 1, 2003... You can get your customers in the mood for cookies as soon as they walk through the door with the scent of fresh baking. At Otis Spunknieyer, Inc., based in San Leandro, Calif., fresh-baked is the company's specialty. Otis Spunkmeyer ships...

Service with style: the latest trends in serveware give baristas and their customers something to smile about.
May 1, 2003... If it's been a while since you bought a new carafe, creamer, airpot or French press, it just might be time to make a purchase. Lucky for you, there are a number of new products that are purchase-worthy. Many of these products follow the...

Background music is big business at the cash register. (CD Sales).
May 1, 2003... Playing appealing background music is an easy way to make specialty coffee a true multi-sensory experience. And profits grow when the environment invites customers to linger and consume more beverages as well as CDs and tapes of the featured...