How do i get the business to start getting busier again?

My family and I own a couple of coffee shops in a growing communter town. We have been around for at least ten yrs now. However, over the past couple of years other coffee houses also moved in including Starbucks who opened multiple locations throughout, like in supermarkets

Not only that, one sm coffee shop owner opened right across the street from our downtown location. Until just recently, our shop has been the local coffee house with busy mornings and lunchtimes.

Now it is literally deserted, with just our regulars that we love and don't even want to lose. We are afraid that our business will have to eventually shut down. Last year we filed a loss with taxes. Due to our change of profit, we had to even get a second mortgage on our home to help pay bills. We have cut our employees to only a need to bases, to keep the cost down.

What should we do? Try to keep it going? If so, how? We have tried coupons and freebees. What can we do to get it moving again?

Think of adding some other revenue ideas to the coffee shop

Someone said it before, ad Internet access.

Books or magazines.

Some unique foods or flavored coffees.

Try and work with other businesses in the area and supply them with your coffee or servies for a place in the shop or for a fee.

Think of changing the menus, or even going away from coffee, look over some franchises that might fit into the community.

You have to try and be unique to your area and provide something that the area wants and what you will have.

Good luck and hope all goes well, I hate to see the small business owner get shut out, from the name brand places.

Auggie
MyTurnkeyBusiness.com

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Do you have a local Chamber of Commerce? If so, join. Then host Chamber functions there or provide things to chamber meetings. Most have business after hours meetings and breakfast meetings. Also, contact groups like the Rotary club, business leads groups and such. Offer them special deals to hold meetings and events. Act as a sponser to events at the local schools. You can also offer specials to people who bring in a friend, say a free cup of coffe for the friend on their first visit.

I own a small business too and that's how I've done it.

Consider trying this:

Contact the bulk mail center at your post office. As them for the routs that are nearest your coffee shop. Send out, via bulk ail, high quality post cards offering some king of special. Maybe a coffee club type of thing. Send them out, roughly every two months for a year. You will start picking up the local business again. Starbucks coffee is raunchy. Do you sell Guatemalan, or Tanzanian peabarry?

Also, try a website about coffee, it is inexpensive enough and could help inform people as to why your coffee is better. That should go on the postcards as well.

http://www.zoomshare.com get a free website here.
http://www.craigslist.org advertise here.

Good Luck!

Dear Gela. You need to do something out of the ordinary to get your bussines back. Depends on how open mind you are (and I'm not suggesting anything bad) try to add things on your menu that the other coffe houses doesen't have ( like "the incredible grandmother recipe muffins" or "try our just squeezed orange juice) It will work because this is why your customers are flying out.......they want to try something different.

seek helps from Small Business Administration.There are number of volunteers they will help you out.

You should contact your local media (newspaper, tv) to do a story on it. It's the "Walmart and Starbucks" effect. Big boxes move in and the little guys hurt. They could do a really nice piece on your family's story and likely draw more attention to your place. Beauty of it - it wouldn't cost a dime.