Hello, everyone.

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

Hello! My name is Stephanie.
I'm in the business plan/planning stage of opening a coffee shop and bakery in Tallahassee, FL.
I hope we can learn a lot from each other.
-Stephanie

[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum Stephanie. Looking forward to chatting with you and thanks for joining the community.

[JC]

Hello! My name is Stephanie.
I'm in the business plan/planning stage of opening a coffee shop and bakery in Tallahassee, FL.
I hope we can learn a lot from each other.
-Stephanie

Welcome Stephanie, glad to have you here! We have a bakery close by that is....sexy, there's no other way to put it. The chocolate chip cookies are gorgeous with huge chunks of chocolate, not those hopeless little specks you'll see at some bakeries. And there are different varieties, some with peanut butter and so on, but they look wonderful as do the brownies and other sweets. The pies are ridiculous, I won't even buy one as I live alone and it'll be gone in one night. All other chow is awesome too, I always get the lasagna. I strongly suggest you always put the taste and appearance of your food and drinks before all else, if so, I'm certain the customers will find you by word of mouth. Good luck!

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

Thanks, guys! Just looking around the forum some has helped me back from that "oh-god-what-am-I-doing-I'm-going-to-fail-miserably" phase, and JC, you reminded me why I'm so excited to do this. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed the past few days and I can already tell how helpful this forum is going to be. Excited to be a part of it!

[David Hunter]

Welcome, Stephanie!

What makes you different, from say... Starbucks?

Since you'll also be doing bakery, I suggest getting Dan Kennedy's book No B.S. Grassroots Marketing. Go read page 133 (beginning with Reach Out to New Movers) through the top of page 135. Though, page 134 is about a bakery dropping off baked goods to new neighbors. Just be sure to read it all.

You can thank me later! ;)

[JC]

Thanks, guys! Just looking around the forum some has helped me back from that "oh-god-what-am-I-doing-I'm-going-to-fail-miserably" phase, and JC, you reminded me why I'm so excited to do this. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed the past few days and I can already tell how helpful this forum is going to be. Excited to be a part of it!

I'm sure you'll be fine, you're already doing well by seeking advice to better position yourself. I really like your business name too, btw :)

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

What makes you different, from say... Starbucks?


I'm using locally roasted beans, shaking my drinks in cocktail tins, doing garnishes for sit down drinks, and I'll be having milkshakes made with house-made coffee ice cream as my frappuccino alternative, which fits perfectly with my retro/vintage theme! I also hope to promote a more sit down friendly atmosphere than Starbucks, and have a catering room for doing large parties.

I'm definitely gonna check out that book, too, thanks!

[David Hunter]

Sounds delicious!!!! Yum!

Do you have a website yet? Love to check it out.

OH, and another thing... be sure to collect contact info for customers starting on day one!! Get as much info as you can... First/Last name, email, mailing address, phone number, etc. Whatever you can get and never start marketing to them. And, have a big grand opening!! You can mail giant postcards to your area for 17.5 cents a piece for postage using the USPS's Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). Let everyone know about you!!

There's a little pizza shop that opened up last year, who does almost nooo marketing. I drove by at busy hours (lunch/dinner) and there's almost never anyone in line. Sometimes they get lucky, but nope.

market-Market-MARKET!!!

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

Do you have a website yet? Love to check it out.


I've got a very old blog from the first small iteration of the idea. Definitely not what the formal website is going to be. But! My dad is a computer programmer, so I think I can do some sort of goods exchange with him or some of his friends to help me make a great one! And those postcards sound awesome! I will definitely keep them in mind. :)

[Journeymancoffee]

Stephanie,
I am a barista in Tallahassee, and very involved in the coffee scene in town. If you have any questions, I'd love to talk to you about it.

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

Stephanie,
I am a barista in Tallahassee, and very involved in the coffee scene in town. If you have any questions, I'd love to talk to you about it.

Wow! That would be great! Where do you work, if you don't mind me asking?

[Journeymancoffee]

I work at Lucky Goat Coffee, and until recently, Atomic Coffee.

[SouthernVelvetCafe]

I work at Lucky Goat Coffee, and until recently, Atomic Coffee.

Oh, that's awesome! I'm actually looking into using Lucky Goat as my roasters, because I really want to keep as local as possible with all of my ingredients. I'm actually entering the coffee world in a kind of roundabout way. I like coffee, but I'm really passionate about baking and looking to educate myself more about coffee and to work with people who have that passion for coffee. If I can't do it better, why would I try?
How is the tasting room doing? I found that such an intriguing new idea for Tallahassee.
I've never been to Atomic Coffee. I've, unfortunately, been living in Missouri for the past three years. But I plan to do a blitz attack on checking out all of the coffee shops as soon as I move back in November! What are they like?
(Last thing, I promise) Have you tried the Creatures in the Dark stout from Proof that uses the Lucky Goat coffee? My dad's a total beer nerd and he LOVES it. It's definitely on my list to try when I get back to Tally.
Sorry if I'm a little talkative. I'm just really excited to see someone on here from my hometown!

[Journeymancoffee]

Cool to hear that you already know of Lucky Goat. That stout is great, and they made a porter with our Ethiopia Yirgacheffe that I like even better. The tasting room is doing well, we are about to move and expand in about two weeks. I love the idea of a bakery with great coffee, seems to work in other places. I'd love to chat with you about coffee and your ideas. Looking forward to more coffee offerings in town!