This What I Call Cafe Marketing!
Drivers may find themselves doing a double take as they pass the intersection of Spring Street and Schoolhouse Lane in Northern Pennsylvania come August.A uniquely shaped building, the brainchild of Forty Fort resident Amie Harley, will add a twist to the landscape along this retail strip.
A Cup of Heaven, Harley’s specialty drive-through coffee shop, will be shaped like a giant coffee cup.
Harley, 27, came up with the idea after spending time near Spokane, Wash., where she was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. She immediately noticed the coffee kiosks on every corner of the city and the convenience they provided for the consumer.
Harley, who grew up in Plymouth, loved the concept so much she brought it back to Wyoming Valley.
Harley wrote a detailed business plan to the federal government and received a $60,000 grant from the Veterans Benefit Administration for the shop. The grant covers a portion of the $300,000 startup cost for the business.
The cup-shaped building will be 18 feet in diameter, enough to house all equipment and employees. Harley expects to employ one full-time and three part-time workers at the shop.
A Cup of Heaven is the first business enterprise for Harley, who has previous experience working in the restaurant business.
The shop will rely heavily on morning commuters in the Luzerne County area, competing with local Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks Coffee Co. stores.
Other than the ease of two drive-through windows, Harley plans to entice customers by providing an alternative for the local consumer.
Harley sees her coffee as smoother, less potent than Starbucks coffee and will offer it at a cheaper price, she said. She plans to provide a more extensive menu for noncoffee drinkers and children.
A Cup of Heaven will offer coffee and espresso-based drinks such as lattes, mochas and cappuccinos, along with frozen fruit smoothies, teas, milk and bottled water. Breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit and bakery goods will also be served. If customers want to take some of Harley’s coffee home, they will be able to buy her fresh roasted coffee beans either ground or whole.
“I’ll be roasting my own beans right inside,” she said. “You’ll be able to see them and you’ll be able to smell them.”
According to Harley’s business plan, A Cup of Heaven will succeed and its popularity could spread rapidly across the state.
“Economically speaking, Wilkes-Barre has gone downhill in the last decade and it needs more businesses to help rebuild what was once a thriving city,” Harley said.
Source: timesleader.com
06.16.2007
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