Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I`m in the home stretch now. I`m actually buying the materials and will be building my kiosk this month, while doing the final paperwork and taking out the loan to get it all pulled together hopefully by month`s end. I`ve been negotiating with the best local shopping mall in my region and they seem very eager to take my money, and I`m happy for it. We`ll have up to a 10x10 kiosk, they`ll have plumbing and electrical all taken care of. That alone saves me a small fortune in setup. I don`t have to do bathrooms. I`m very optimistic. I think my theme, if it works, will be very eye catching. Think Jules Verne. The tentative title is Steampunk Cafe, and the look will be very retrofuturistic. God forbid I end up with a dime a dozen flowery, library style cafe with light jazz and classical music. Gears, gauges, brass and boiler pots - the best future that never happened. Hopefully we can turn brewing coffee into a stage show of sorts. The potential is insane. Of course, depending on who you ask, so am I for not doing the same old cafe as everyone else. I have a backup plan for theme/style, but I hope not to need it.

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Making limitless possibilities much more limited.

Good luck, Matt. Maybe you`ll become the next huge Steampunk Cafe!

PS: Is Steampunk a reference to the RPG? ;)

Is there a huge one already? In terms of coffee shops, I think we`re breaking new ground. Steampunk is the label for an aesthetic idea. Have you seen Wild Wild West? That movie was steampunk - retro futuristic - hydraulic metal technology, almost Dr. Seuss like complexity. Very whimsical but also very crude. If you haven`t seen Wild Wild West, Van Helsing had a similar technology going, as would most any Jules Verne story. Airships are big in steampunk. The whole style seems a cross between mad max and frankenstein. It`s hard to explain, but a quick google-image search of the term will be worth a thousand words. That`s what sold my partner on the idea. When I was describing it (a common occurrence in the startup process is for me to explain an idea poorly and then let actual pictures make all well) it sounded like we`d look like someone`s basement, but that`s not actually the case. I`m hoping to market the cafe to a younger audience, primarily, though I imagine even some elderly will appreciate the artistry.

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Making limitless possibilities much more limited.

Hi Matt :-) Great news!

I was thinking about your idea, based on the little you`ve hinted. Have you ever heard of a Rube Goldberg machine? There`s a software game that used to be out there, called "The Incredible Machine." That too, went along the lines of Mr. Goldberg.

I wonder if you could incorporate this type of thing into your business? It wouldn`t have to be stunningly complicated, but there could be various weird machines for people to push or pull. Maybe?

Thanks for this article which give us valuable awarenss for the general class people.

Every dark night is followed by a bright sunny day. So, patience and attention is required and things will be fruitful in near future.

Estate Planning

Here`s wishing you a very successful business Matt!


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Take each day, mold it and make it yours.......

http://www.solutionshealthnwellness.com

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Chris Miller, a simple taco maker:
The Tiger Taco home in the U.S.A.
Tiger Tacos in Australia
Tiger Tacos in the United Kingdom

Chris, you`re so on the money it`s as if you were in show biz. :-)

The bottom line is that Steampunk doesn`t have to authentically function in all the mechanical details. It only has to *appear* to use those details. Like magic. :-)

Got an email back from the mall I`m likely to open at. They`re going to cut me a deal on the rent/utilities, shaving off about 300 dollars a month to get it in the price range I emailed. Having the utilities thrown in was an unexpected bonus. I was thinking I had to do a kiosk to be in budget, but they offered me a 600 sq foot inline storefront and they said they`d try and get it in our budget. Tomorrow I`m going to the town hall to get my business startup paperwork, calling my equipment supplier to get the lease forms, calling my graphic designer friends to get started on that stuff, then Wednesday I`ve got a meeting with the mall representative to get specifics on the locations available to me. Hopefully my partner can come along - I like having two sets of ears for important things. I`ve gotta hire a business lawyer. Once Unsecured Solutions told me I could get 25-75k, I contacted a few other lenders to get them competing over me. I hope somebody can up the ante in that regard. Busy, busy, busy!

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Making limitless possibilities much more limited.

So I guess now wouldn`t be a good time to ask you if you could read us a story?