Hi all

Me and my wife are looking into buying a coffee shop, total investment is 75k the shop comes with everything included Equipment, furnishings, great location (Next to N.C. State). Basically the original owners want to retire so they have put their shop up for sale.

I know that coffee houses were big in the 90's but are they still that big now?
Is this a worth wile investment.

I have run coffee houses in the past but never owned one, so I'm not sure what to expect.

We are going down to see the shop over the weekend and look everything over before we plunk down 75k.

So is owning a coffee shop and different from owning a Comic Book and Collectible shop?

Does any one own a catering or small sandwich shop that can give me a bit of advise on this type of industry and some in's and outs that can help me out with this decision to purchase this shop or keep looking for something else.

Thanks

~Surfer~

Sorry...im only 20. No advice for ya, but I think it would be cool to see you do something so hard core. (its hard core because its worth 75k).

Anywho...good luck with it if you decide to do it!

Coffee shops are big here despite the apparition of coffee shop chains like Starbucks. People prefer traditional coffee shops with more personalised service. Where will your shop be located?

I've seen 2 popular coffehouses near me close their doors in the past 6 months.
I'm sure it was a combination of our poor economy combined with the fact that they really have lost a lot of appeal. It's a tough business to thrive in. Think about where most of your sales are coming from. Coffee.
Most people prefer to just go through a drive-thru rather than actually drag their butts out of the car and go in for a bit of atmosphere.

If the owners are simply retiring, they must have done pretty good. Any coffee shop located near a college is a small gold mine.

That's just me though.

Coffee (in particular companies like starbucks) are seen as...indicators of the U.S. economy.

They use premium coffee providers (3 bucks a cup I suppose would be a good benchmark) to measure how well the U.S. economy is doing.

Starbucks is closing stores their stock is down. Seattle's Best is also down.

Bookstores with those shops in their stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders are also down.

Is it wise right now to invest in a coffee shop at the time America is in a recession?

If you are providing a cheap affordable coffee then yes (Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds coffee sales are thriving).

If you are providing a premium coffee then no. It would not be cost effective and you will probably lose money.

Right on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, NC state is just across the street from the shop so that is a plus.

From what I have been seeing and reading Star Schmucks is loosing money and are shutting down some of their many shops. So that is good news for me.

I am just not familiar with health laws and all that goes with a shop like this.

I have had several successful business in the past but they were all comic and toy related, so this will be my first Food service business.

Starbucks is losing money though because they build their goddamn shops right next to each other. It took them several years to figure out that this was a bad idea.

You have a good point Swift..I was planning on keeping the cost low so the students could afford it.

When I ran "Coffee Talk" we had a 5.00 bottomless cup of coffee and Ice Tea to keep the cost low for the ASU students.

So my plan was to have good coffee and sandwiches and desserts at a low price, I see no reason to charge 3 or 4 bucks for a cup of coffee.

If I can keep the cost low I will gain more business, but I do want to make a profit.

Well I guess NS the real question is what type of service are you looking to provide? A cheap quick coffee or a premium coffee with atmospheric conditions?

Or something in between.