Step 1: Defining my Purpose
Opening a cafe has been a goal of mine for probably close to 7 years. Through this time the idea has evolved and changed into something I feel confident in. Essentially, I want to create a space that encourages the arts and community engagement while also providing a late night spot for anything from D&D nights, to jazz nights, to just a late study spot for local students. The main reason it’s taken this long to make any tangible progress is 100% due to fear. More than the fear of failure, it’s terrifying just thinking about the financial aspect to opening and operating a cafe. It is my goal with this series that I can push past these fears and maybe even build a supportive community. Thank you for joining me on this journey!
Establish a purpose: Define the core mission and values of your cafe. This will guide all your business decisions and help you stay focused on your goals.
I feel as though if your goal is to be rich then this isn’t the business to go into. Is it possible? Sure. But more likely than not you won’t be extremely wealthy from one cafe. A purpose could be as simple as wanting to share great espresso or wanting to provide a space for people with dietary restrictions to be able to enjoy food and drinks with their friends.
For me, I want to provide a cozy space where people of all kinds can come to meet with friends, study, or just enjoy the vibes. Because I want to create that cozy warm vibe it’ll be important that my menu and decor match. I want to try and use warm tones in the decor and have the menu offer comfort foods. The coffee menu would also have signature lattes with warm spices and autumnal flavors. Because I want to foster a community especially for students and local creators, I want to make sure that I am planning events at my cafe that would appeal to these groups. I want to be able to have nights where jazz musicians come to play or nights where people read poetry. I would also want to plan events to help reduce stress for students during finals. It might even be fun to host a drag show! One event I’ll definitely host often will be art exhibits for local artists. We’ll change the entire space to fit all kinds of art. And the artists will be able to show and sell their art without having to pay a fee.
Hosting events aren’t necessary to owning a cafe. But they can help with exposure and creating a strong community.
At the end of the day, I want to be able to create a space of warmth and community. It’s my goal to use my cafe as the source of power to fund and advance the people around me. There aren’t many places like that. And as I’m writing this, one of the greatest places like that in my area is closing. The community is in mourning. and it’s heartbreaking. But I want my determination to create a space for all of these people who lost that piece of the community. Even though the area I live in has become safer over the years, it’s also slowly losing its sense of culture. I want to foster a space that brings it back.
On top of being a part of and wanting to be a proponent of a flourishing art community, I also have another reason I want to open this cafe. The area that I live in faces a lot of food insecurity. It’s estimated that 25% of all San Diegans are food insecure, not just those also battling homelessness. It has been a goal of mine to start a community free fridge and even a community garden to tackle both long and short term food insecurity. I’ve tried starting the free fridge before but I’ve struggled to find a business that was willing to host it. Having Moon Rabbit Cafe would create a space that I can set up this fridge. And profit from the cafe could help fund the community garden. Of course I would need a bunch of volunteers to keep everything running, but this cafe would be the start.
Final Thoughts
To be honest, I’m just as scared as I am excited. Opening a cafe when you’re someone like me is a huge risk. But I believe in my dream and I believe that it can be a success. At the end of the day, it will take a whole community to help this dream come true.
