M Squared has a point. If the store opens at the wrong time, it could be costly.
I have to
believe that there will be seasonal cycles involved here. I am sure that our
friends from the
heard as well as BigBux know this all too well. They also know that when their
heating
costs are highest, they sell more hot beverages. Locations at Universities are
quite
sensitive to the school calander. Places in downtown business districts are not
too busy on
the weekends or in the evening. We must not, however, lost sight of the fact
that this
business must be able to operate with a profit all year, or all we have is
another Brown
Note. Don't misunderstand, I am not saying this coffee house/bookstore can or
should be
profitable the first day/week/month/etc. It will take a while for the customer
base to
discover the place. What I am saying is that once the corner is turned, it
really needs to
stay that way. It can and must be done.

I could go on, maybe take this in a few directions, IE: location, marketing,
financing, but I
am really more interested in reading what others have to say - I am sick of
listening to
myself type.







--- In boundandgrounds@yahoogroups.com, Jacques Treatment <jacques@t...> wrote:
>
> Related to the whole heating thing: I know of a certain cafe in
> Sterling Heights whose ownership changed in the fall; by the time
> winter was over, the place was under new ownership yet again. You might
> want to wait until heating costs don't factor into things, when starting
> the business.
>
> On a related, amusing note, back where I lived in Boca Raton, Florida,
> there was a business called the Bagel Cafe--not really a cafe in any
> sense of the word, just a bagel-oriented deli-food-serving restaurant.
> During Florida's Tourist Season, the place was always packed... and this
> would always attract some new buyer, who would end up with the place in
> April or May (as the season ended). The poor rube would fail to make a
> profit, and the original owner would buy the place back, generally at a
> better price, just as the Season started up again.
>
> The moral? Know when to buy.
>
>
> Rob wrote:
> > A. The fixed costs associated with extra space are extra rent as we know,
but there is
also a
> > cost to heat (and cool) as well as labor hours required to keep the place
clean.
>