Saturday, October 24, 2009

Tweeted Pictures + Updates


I've put up some pictures of the abandoned Starbucks space that might house Cafe Novo, on my Twitter.
Check them out by clicking on the little birdy below this sentence :


In todays news, the old Second Cup loction was a bust - the place is a mess, and would need alot of work. Plus the guy who owns it is delusional about how much he should get for the all the broken down dirty stuff they left behind - $50K! Dreaming!

The space on Queen was nice, but huge, not set up with the plumbing I'd require (knew that going in), and the vibe I envision for Cafe Novo wouldn't fit well into the neighborhood. It's trying to be much edgier than I would be, and I think I'd suffer because of it.

All of this solidifies in my mind the abandoned Starbucks location. I'm doing a walk through Tuesday night with a friend who works in cafe construction for another big company who remain unamed - he will be much better than I at estimating the cost to complete the renovations.
Fingers crossed there aren't surprises I can't see, or don't know about that will cost alot in time or money.

While downtown I checked out Tealish, where I will be sourcing my tea from. Cutest little shop off Queen W, on Walnut St. Had an amazing honeybush tea, so soft and simple and delicious. I can't wait to offer these teas to everyone!


(Inside Tealish)

Then we headed down to Zuccarini Imports, to suss out the gorgeous Elektra Barlume that I'm dreaming about showcasing at Cafe Novo. They didn't have the demo model there, it's being lent to a cafe while the machine they've ordered is en route, but I did get to speak to the owner, Jackie, about leasing options, and installation etc.
She's awesome - she'll sell me the demo machine, for a great price and the lease-to-own options are very fair. The cost includes the water filter, installation and training. I can even send any new staff to them to be trained on the same machine I'll have in my cafe! All covered! So I'm going to be sitting in on one of the training sessions they have planned in November, and get in on this latte art!


All in all a successful Saturday, tomorrow sees me working on the business plan, to be able to submit it next week.

Have a great night everyone!

xo


2 comments:

  1. Thanks for including me on today's jouney toward the final event. It is very exciting and so proud of you!
    I might be biased, but you folks should see this lady handle herself in a negotiation on the prettiest bit of coffee making equipment I have ever seen.
    This item will add the class and sophistication her uncompromising vision demands and make great drinks!

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  2. It's so funny you posted about tea today! I was thinking this morning as i was making my morning tea, how awesome it would be if someone knew exactly how long to steep it for and gave it to me exactly how it was meant to be served. Then i though, who would do such a thing? Why Liz of course! But it goes it to show, even after all these years, we're still on the same wavelength..... wee ooo weee ooo
    -Sarah

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