and refurbish those pieces rather
than replacing them when they
begin to break down. At Caffe
Luxxe's three locations, Chau regularly repaints and refurbishes
the wooden chairs. "For me it's
a matter of personal satisfaction
that although I didn't make the
furniture, I had a part in bringing
it to its final form in the café," he
says. "It gives it a little bit more
of a personal touch."
MEETING A
PURPOSE
At the end of the day, your furniture should be comfortable and
inviting. But at a time in which
many shops are revisiting whether or not they want to offer free
Wi-Fi—and receive the deluge of
laptop-toting campers that sometimes follows—it could be wise
to ask exactly how comfortable OFF THE BENCH: Wood furniture—like this piece at Portland's Woodlawn
you want that furniture to be. Coffee and Pastry—can create a rustic, homey feel.
"The furniture is all about
getting people to settle
in and get comfortable,"
says Gary Robson. "And if
they get too comfortable,
they could sit there and
take up space all day long
off of one $3 cup of tea.
That hasn't really been
a problem for us so far,
but it's something we're
aware of."
Ultimately, it's up to
the business owner to
decide every facet of the
furniture, from where it's
placed to what style it's
in to exactly how comfortable it should be. But
if you make choices that
result in a shop that resonates with your customers, your furniture could
play an important role in
bringing in dollars to your
business over time.
freshcup.com September 2013
39