Splicetoday

Consume
Oct 30, 2008, 08:23AM

One-Stop Culture Shop

We've mentioned before how important it is for local businesses to be relevant to their demographic. For the literature and coffee crowd, alcohol seems to be a sure-fire way to drum up business.

Nothing groundbreaking here:

Fehsenfeld envisions adding beer and wine to his cafe's extensive coffee menu, so bookstore patrons could have a glass with dinner, browse the books, relax by the fireplace and maybe listen to a live concert. As downtown condominiums have developed, so has downtown retail traffic, he said. Although the depressed real estate market has slowed new downtown starts for now, Fehsenfeld is positioning Schuler's downtown location to move forward with it in the future.

Yes, businesses need to do what they can to stay competetive in this economy, and if that means hiring people who will put up with drunk "literary" assholes so be it. This is culture packed tighter and tighter, turning a book store into a bar and a coffee shop and a music venue. There's nothing wrong with hybrid establishments, but ever since Starbucks starting selling Miles and Coltrane records we've come to expect a coffee shop or a book store to be everything we wish we could project ourselves to be.

Diversify yourselves. The rest will follow.

Discussion
  • Very true... Alcohol was involved in most of the contribution that I've made to the local economy ...

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  • It's a great idea, and one that might save a lot of retail establishments. I completely agree about the Starbucks' music line--which is also kind of chintzy since the CD's are short on songs--but for a bookstore to be able to sell beer is a real attraction. And actually, it'll probably help on "impulse" buys.

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