REGIONAL UPDATE
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BY ED AVIS
on the state of industry from fi ve coff ee shops around the country.
NORTHEAST
L��� G��� C���������� Gloucester, Mass.
2011 at Lone Gull Coff eehouse, which is on Main Street in charming Gloucester. "We are seeing more tourists this year,
says owner Maryellen Borge. But Borge feels that the slow economy
"
is hurting business, despite the greater number of out-of-towners stopping in for a cup. "When people can't fi nd work, luxuries such as lattes, cappuccinos, and other more expensive drinks are sometimes cut out of daily lives," she says.
28 | August 2012 • www.specialty-coffee.com Business in 2012 is slightly better than
economy. But most of that information is "big picture"; what people are actually concerned about is the economy in their own business and community. With that in mind, here are views
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ewspapers and broadc st repoadcast ra are full of information about the
eports
2004. Borge and her husband Joseph gutted an old storefront and rebuilt it into a cozy shop with exposed brick walls, wooden wainscoting and comfy easy chairs. Th e decor is accented with revolving art exhibits from local artists. "Our goal when we opened was to create a warm, inviting atmosphere," Borge says. "And I feel we have done so." Maintaining a coff eehouse that
Lone Gull has been open since ne Gull has b en o SOUTHEAST
R�� C�� C����� H���� Birmingham, Ala.
Cat Coff ee House, a four-year-old shop in a historic part of downtown Birmingham. "We've grown maybe 30 percent since last year,
Th ings are looking up for the Red
prides itself in quality can be expensive, though. Among the maintenance expenses this year was the replacement of the shop's espresso machine. Supply costs have also been a factor,
Borge says. She changed her milk distributor recently because its prices had risen too much, and of course the invoices from her coff ee supplier have jumped. She raised prices to help off set those increases—only the third time in the shop's history that she has done so—but customers don't seem to mind. "My customers' reactions are,
'You gotta do it,'" she says. "Th ey understand.
"
owner Kirk Summers. Summers attributes the growth to a
" reports co-
solid focus on quality. "Th ere are three or four really high-end coff eehouses in Birmingham, so you can't aff ord not to be among them or people will fi nd a better place,
" he says.
