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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 02-12 Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays MAPLEWOOD REVIEW2/4/2016 Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.corn Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays Submitted by ad min 1 on Thu, 02/12/2015 -10:04am By: Erin Hinrichs Kunipon Boonwong, cc) (..)wner of Cafb'ine, attends to a cwstonier cm a Ffidayarternoon, (E--Wn I firifichslRe view) Owners Navarat Poosansaard and Kurni,)on Boonwong can be f6und behind the counter korn open to close. f linfichslRe vie vl) There's plenty of foot traffic at the Maplewood library. 2/4/2016 Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com More than 350,000 visitors walked through its doors in 2014, says deputy director for Ramsey County libraries Sandy Walsh, making it the second busiest location in the Ramsey County library system. Each patron walks past the new coffee shop, Cafe'ine, upon entering the library, making it an alluring location for the new business owners, a young married Thai couple, who are embarking on their first entrepreneurial venture in the U.S. Drumming up business in a library coffee shop that's seen turnover in recent years, however, has posed some unexpected challenges for Navarat Poosansaard and her husband, Kumpon Boonwong. "When we opened it was really challenging because people had already forgotten this was a cafe," Poosansaard explains. Mayor Nora Slawik, one of their regulars, attended Cafe'ine's grand opening Jan. 5. She holds many of her city meetings with locals at the new coffee shop, in order to show her support for the small business. Plus, she says, it's a great place to meet. "I think it's important for the community to also support them," she says. "It's harder to be successful when you're not part of a large chain. They may have an uphill battle until people recognize their name." Books and beans Over at the Roseville library, Dunn Bros Coffee opened as a franchise location in 1990. Dunn Bros corporate later managed the cafe for a period before Karen Sturm took ownership in 2011. "Business has picked up when the economy picked up," says Sturm. "Now we're seeing a big influx." Director of Ramsey County libraries Susan Nemitz says the addition of a coffee shop at the Roseville location, which features a drive-through, coincided with a 10 percent increase in circulation at the library. Granted, the Roseville library brings in nearly double the patronage of the Maplewood branch. Last year, more than 620,000 patrons visited the library and it circulated more than 1.7 million items, making it the busiest library in the state. Walsh adds that the Roseville library is centrally located, making it a hub for those in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Ramsey County and people who work in Roseville's retail and businesses as well. While the new owners of Cafe'ine say it's still too early to predict whether or not they'll secure enough business to succeed, a look back at their predecessors indicates a busy host library may not necessarily translate into a busy coffee shop. Trouble with traffic? The location's former cafe, Jamocha's Cafe and Bakery, opened in March 2013 and went out of business 11 months later. "You just couldn't get people in the door," says Sandie Sherman, former owner of Jamocha's. She says she tried everything she could think of to expand her customer base beyond a handful of regulars: advertising, loyalty programs, opening well before library hours at 6:30 a.m., coupons, social media outreach and in-person introductions with neighboring businesses. But the shop lost money every month, making it impossible to stay in business. Looking back, Sherman says she feels somewhat misled by the library, which promoted itself as the second busiest in the Ramsey County system when she first considered leasing the space. "When they told us there were thousands of people who came through the door, I agreed with them," says Sherman, adding she 2/4/2016 Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays i Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com sat in the parking lot to verify the volume of foot traffic before signing the contract. "[But] we were a little misled by the numbers. We were confused that that might bring in people." While Sherman says the library did try to support her, a number of other factors hindered business. Compared to the Dunn Bros location at the Roseville library, she says, Jamocha's Cafe and Bakery struggled to establish name recognition and to attract patrons who viewed the cafe as a destination independent of the library. She says the nearby Caribou Coffee and McDonalds right down the street were hard to compete with, especially since potential patrons coming to access free library services weren't necessarily walking by with the intent to purchase anything in the first place. To illustrate her point, Sherman recalls the time a book club took up seating inside her cafe because the library was full. They sat there for more than two hours, she says, and only one person bought a cup of coffee for $1.65. This sort of incident became so routine that she set up signs on her tables to reserve them for cafe customers only. While Sherman says those who gave the cafe a try often turned into regulars, ultimately, there just wasn't enough volume to keep two employees on the clock and turn a profit. Prior to Jamocha's Cafe and Bakery, Cravings began renting the space in 2008. After fulfilling their 5 -year lease, Nemitz says they agreed to relocate because their new business plan no longer aligned with the library's vision. "They have moved on to a new model, where their cafe is serving alcohol," she says. "That wasn't a good fit for us." New menu, new appeal Poosansaard says she draws her inspiration for her cafe's decor and menu from her own experiences studying inside coffee shops. At age 31, she's aiming to complete her master's in international business at St. Mary's University in a couple of months. Brainstorming for her first entrepreneurial move, she decided a coffee shop that sold reasonably -priced food, to satisfy the needs of customers who set up shop to do work or study, could take hold. Originally, she says she wanted to feature Thai smoothies, but the focus shifted to coffee once she realized cold smoothies might not sell as well in the winter. The menu features a fusion of local favorites and Thai dishes — everything from creamy tomato soup and grilled cheese to fried rice and an Asian soup. "If everyone keeps demanding Thai food, we may bring that," she says, noting it would certainly be an investment to start stocking perishable ingredients to make something like pad thai. "When you only have a couple people coming in to buy [something], I think they're wise to stay simple," says Sherman, adding she had once considered adding hot dogs to her menu, but didn't get that far. For now, Poosansaard is focusing on the drinks. Cafe'ine sells organic coffee from a local roaster called UP, based out of Minneapolis. Adding some Thai flair to the menu, Poosansaard recommends the Thai tea and sweet coffee drinks. She's proud of her latest creation: an orange Thai tea frappe. To see if her customers agree, she's been closely tracking consumer activity. Asked if she's detected any trends yet, Poosansaard says it's been a roller coaster thus far. One of her greatest concerns is finding a way to attract business outside of the library's hours. While the two operate independent of one another, she says it's challenging to justify holding longer hours than the library, which doesn't open until 10 a.m. on weekdays and closes by 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, if she can't establish her own clientele. Testing the waters, Cafe'ine currently opens an hour before the library opens. 2/4/2016 Maplewood library planners, patrons hope new coffee shop stays I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com "At the beginning, no one [came]. Now it's getting better each day," Poosansaard says, proud to announce she has at least one customer who comes for the coffee, not the books. Nemitz says the fact that a transit center sits nearby may offer the coffee shop an alternate source of customers who are looking for a cup of coffee during their commute. In terms of hitting it off with library users, Nemitz sees lots of potential. "I'm really hopeful," Nemitz says. "I think they're offering quality products at an affordable price. We encourage our patrons to linger, so to be able to stay for coffee or lunch, or pick up a snack for a child, is a really good service for patrons of the library." Family ties Poosansaard grew up near a beach in Pattaya, Thailand, about two hours outside of Bangkok. It's a popular tourist destination, especially during the holidays. She remembers working at her parents' restaurant, serving food and drinks to visitors. "When [I was] younger, [I] was shy taking orders from English speakers," she says, explaining that she studied English in school, but had limited opportunities to practice with native speakers. Now that she's the one in charge, she has a greater appreciation for the effort that goes into running a business. "He made everything seem to be easy," she says of her dad, adding that she tries to emulate her mother's talent with customer service as well. At the end of each work day, she logs onto Skype or FaceTime to touch base with her parents, who have been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. And, from roughly 8,000 miles away, they share herjoys and concerns and offer what advice they can. However, Poosansaard seems to be navigating Midwestern business culture well on her own. Her optimism, resourcefulness, determination and willingness to adapt may give her cafe the competitive edge it needs to succeed. "We want to be successful, of course," Poosansaard says, noting she and her husband agreed it was a risk they had to take. "If it fails, we learn from the experience." Erin Hinrichs can be reached at 651-748-7814 and ehinrichsalillienews.com. Follow her at twitter.com/EHinrichsNews