Backwoods Beans
Well, folks, if there was any residual doubt in you mind that I'm nuts, you can now be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that I truly am. I am, you see, engaged in an enterprise to establish a coffee shop in the fair city of Sparta.
OK, I'll give you a few moments to let that sink in.
One. Tick.
Two. Tick. Tick.
Three. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Why, you might ask, would I do a dumb thing like that. Fair enough.
The answer is that Bear Essentials Cabin Outfitters closed down at the end of December (owing to the slowdown in the number of Floridians building summer homes is these woeful economic times) and they had the only coffee bar in town as an ancillary to their main business of cabin furnishings. What's a fellow to do?
At the same time the storefront at 15 N. Main Street became available. In addition to being only four doors from the main intersection in town (US-21 and NC-18) and directly across the street from the courthouse, it has the most beautiful hardwood floors in town.
All that and it's right next to Kermit's Barber Shop to boot!
At this point you might be wondering what the CFO had to say about all this. Well, she sent me through the hoops to prove that I wasn't betting the farm on this adventure and now she's pretty much into the spirit of it all, as well. She even came up with the first "official" name (that would be the one on the LLC charter) for the shop in the middle of the night after she found fault will all my picks.
But it was Wawa who arrived at the final moniker — Backwoods Bean Coffee Shop — after she found fault with the CFO's pick. And, now she's into the venture as Chief Designer of logo and shop layout and I'm into something like eleven gallons of paint in four official "coffee shop" colors (so far).
Having listened to all the griping and seen all the hand wringing of small and large businessmen alike, I thought it only fair that, once in my life, I should dip my toe into that dark and foreboding milieu of business taxes and regulations. To that end, I have thus far made the regulations work to my advantage in that the shop will NOT be a restaurant as defined by the codes. Coffee, yes. Food, yes. Restaurant, no. More an that later!
As for taxes, I look forward to paying them because that means I will have succeeded. To that end, I have an at-risk budget and an agreement with the landlord (rent is the only significant fixed expense of any significance) that if I'm not paying taxes in eight months, we will part ways amicably.
So, all those of you who enjoy banging nails and splashing paint, come on up for a spell. We'll be brewing a coffee before you know it. And, for the moment, it's free.
OK, I'll give you a few moments to let that sink in.
One. Tick.
Two. Tick. Tick.
Three. Tick. Tick. Tick.
Why, you might ask, would I do a dumb thing like that. Fair enough.
The answer is that Bear Essentials Cabin Outfitters closed down at the end of December (owing to the slowdown in the number of Floridians building summer homes is these woeful economic times) and they had the only coffee bar in town as an ancillary to their main business of cabin furnishings. What's a fellow to do?
At the same time the storefront at 15 N. Main Street became available. In addition to being only four doors from the main intersection in town (US-21 and NC-18) and directly across the street from the courthouse, it has the most beautiful hardwood floors in town.
All that and it's right next to Kermit's Barber Shop to boot!
At this point you might be wondering what the CFO had to say about all this. Well, she sent me through the hoops to prove that I wasn't betting the farm on this adventure and now she's pretty much into the spirit of it all, as well. She even came up with the first "official" name (that would be the one on the LLC charter) for the shop in the middle of the night after she found fault will all my picks.
But it was Wawa who arrived at the final moniker — Backwoods Bean Coffee Shop — after she found fault with the CFO's pick. And, now she's into the venture as Chief Designer of logo and shop layout and I'm into something like eleven gallons of paint in four official "coffee shop" colors (so far).
Having listened to all the griping and seen all the hand wringing of small and large businessmen alike, I thought it only fair that, once in my life, I should dip my toe into that dark and foreboding milieu of business taxes and regulations. To that end, I have thus far made the regulations work to my advantage in that the shop will NOT be a restaurant as defined by the codes. Coffee, yes. Food, yes. Restaurant, no. More an that later!
As for taxes, I look forward to paying them because that means I will have succeeded. To that end, I have an at-risk budget and an agreement with the landlord (rent is the only significant fixed expense of any significance) that if I'm not paying taxes in eight months, we will part ways amicably.
So, all those of you who enjoy banging nails and splashing paint, come on up for a spell. We'll be brewing a coffee before you know it. And, for the moment, it's free.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteI wish youthe best of luck in your new venture.
Will you be roasting your own beans?
Port City Java - Watch out!
Good luck Dave. Sounds like you may become the "NC Something Different"
ReplyDeleteWhen's the "BackwoodsBeansFest"?
Hmmm, Backwoods Beans. Sounds like something a bear might leave on the forest floor...
ReplyDeleteCould this be the Western NC version of Kopi Luwak?
Hey hey now Mike! I don't know you (yet) but I had no intentions of instilling visions of bear dung for my dad's customers. Oh crap. :)
ReplyDelete