Just wanted to connect with some shop owners operating in a rural area or small town (pop <5,000).
We are opening up as soon as the inspector says ok. We have about 1800 sf of space of which 1/3 is used for kitchen and storage for now. Since traffic is different in a small town, I'm just wondering if you do anything unique... lunch? dinner? have a second business within your shop? or maybe you stick to morning hours only?
One semi-rural coffee shop (35 miles away) closes from 2-5pm and re-opens as a wine bar in the evenings. They also do an event once a month called Pinot and Pinterest where the customers pay $5 for supplies, do a craft, and drink wine.
I know of another coffee shop that sells upscale, hard-to-find clothing, as well as Merle Norman cosmetics. Yet another coffee shop is also a soda fountain and ice cream parlor.
In addition to espresso-based drinks, we are doing bagels for breakfast because you can't get them around here, soups and sandwiches for lunch, and being an outlet for local foods and artisans.
~K
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