Searching for a place to brew

[CoffeeKat]

Hi fellow coffee hounds~

Just found this board and can't stay away from it. Maybe you can help me. My husband and I are taking early retirement next year to open a coffee bar, but we still don't have a clue where. While I have the training and experience in managing a coffee bar (both front of the house and office), I'm a little skittish at the thought of starting from scratch.

I've found one good online resource, www.bizbuysell.com, but I'm in the market for more to help in a location search. We don't want to go much further north than where we are now (Kansas City), do not want to settle in California or Florida, and we don't want a strip mall location.

Ideally we can find a small Mom and Pop operation with a decent location, or establish one from the ground up if we have to. I'm thinking a small to medium-sized college town with a strong arts community and some sort of seasonal tourism attraction would be ideal.

Can anyone help point us in the right direction?

 

[ralphshade]

Location, location, location

you've got the right idea, dot that I can point you in a specific direction. Don't rule out strip malls, though. Some of the most successful cafes i've run across have been in strip malls. The important thing is what's in the mall and the surropunding neighborhood. I realize the exterior may not be ideal, but you can do whatever you want with the interior.