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FULLY FURNISHED continued from page 37 different sizes. "I want to be able to slide tables together and make different configurations so seats aren't going unused," he says. And he recommends square tables over round ones, as they can be pushed together or against a wall more precisely. When thinking about how to get the most seats into your space, it's also useful to consider couches versus chairs. Red Lodge Books & Tea in Red Lodge, Mont., used to count couches among its furniture items before co-owners Gary and Kathy Robson removed them in favor of chairs. "We really didn't feel the couches were an efficient use of space because you would very rarely find people sharing a couch with somebody they didn't know," says Gary Robson. "If one person sat down on the couch, there was only going to be one person on the couch. As our traffic has increased, we've needed to take more care with the efficiency of the layout." WHICH ITEMS TO CHOOSE When it comes to what items you actually choose for your shop's furnishings, consider both your personal preference and the likes and dislikes of your clientele. Ideally you will find pieces that you enjoy looking at every day that are also appealing to your customers. For Chau at Caffe Luxxe, opting for items made from wood was a way to please both parties. "I think wood furniture creates a subtle, rustic feel," INTERIORS: Design & Layout Services (from top) creates floor plans for cafés he says. "Our target demo- that use varied configurations of tables and chairs—a practice also followed graphic profile was someone at Red Lodge Books & Tea in Montana and Caffe Luxxe in Los Angeles. 38 Fresh Cup Magazine freshcup.com who was well-traveled and looking for a little bit of the sophistication they experienced in their travels, so it was a good fit." When furniture shopping, it's wise to spend a bit more for pieces that will hold up to day-after-day usage. Blaine Kitchen, sales manager of chair manufacturer Holsag, says he has frequent conversations with owners about what they should be looking for in their chairs. "You should be aiming to have something that projects an image of quality to your customers," he says. "And then of course from a safety perspective, you need something that your customers can sit on without it falling apart." Kitchen also stresses the importance of testing chairs out before buying. "You do need to sit in chairs and see how they feel," he says. "Something could look comfortable, but you just never know until you try it." It's also useful to consider how your tables and chairs will hold up to the inevitable coffee spills and food crumbs that could lead to permanent marks. The Robsons at Red Lodge say they learned the hard way to opt for stain-resistant furniture. "All the comfortable chairs and couches we've had in here have been typical fabric like you'd find in a living room," says Gary, "which perhaps isn't the best idea in a situation where people are constantly drinking a cup of something on them." Once you have picked out sturdy, dependable furniture that defines your shop, you might decide to repair