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So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

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Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#161

Post by Noos »

l0b0 wrote: post #4

A recent experience from a hackerspace showed me how incredibly thankless people can be. After working really insanely hard to build an inclusive space with loads of features, every little hobby revolutionary in the community just shits all over the work and proclaims the people actually getting stuff done should just stop and leave it to them. Even if I had the time, money and expertise I would never do something li…

No one cares how hard you work when you open a business and keep it running. They aren't your friends, they are your customers, and the only reward you should expect is the cash they give you for the service or goods you provide.

A point of the article should be that if you have to work insanely hard on your business and have to rely on volunteers or people like that, you need to not be in the business in the first place. Don't sink money to it, and just do something informal with people you trust; let them come over to use the tools in your own private workspace.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#162

Post by ghaff »

Terretta wrote: post #158
dragonwriter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would be more accurate to ask: “How the F can anyone make any money when Starbucks is on every other street corner and has the advantages of scale they have.” Source and roast your own beans, don't overroast the beans, charge a premium over Starbucks for not producing crap coffee from overroasted beans. Starbucks does some impressive work with the candy flavors it adds to distract from their coffee, but...

Objections from sibling comments aside, roughly ‘everyone’ who has compared coffees for taste feels Starbucks is ‘overroasted’. Curious then why Starbucks doesn’t adjust. Is it something in the scale manufacturing, such as, more margin for error in the overroasted side, so taste will be the same signature burnt at every Starbucks in the world? Is it that their market is former fast food coffee drinkers used to bland…

One popular theory among people who don't like Starbucks coffee is that a dark roast tends to make variations in or quality of the coffee beans less important than in the case of a lighter roast.

That said, Starbucks is obviously popular with a lot of people. Personally, I think their coffee and some of their other drinks are fine. I don't always go there (not that I'm a coffeeshop regular) but that's for reasons other than their coffee quality. (I admittedly tend to use darker roasts when I make coffee at home as well.)

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#163

Post by gambiting »

dannypi921 wrote: post #126
gambiting wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never had any issue with the way Starbucks coffee tastes - it's just coffee. I definitely don't pick my coffee shops based on the coffee taste - it's only a matter of distance/price, nothing else.

If it's strictly distance/price, then you make all of your coffee at home and work, right? You would never even think about going to Starbucks if that is all you cared about. Now you may pick coffee shops based on atmosphere, which I think many people do.

I do, I drink coffee at home before going to work, then at work we have a machine that's free to use. But obviously there are times when I am away and want a cup of coffee, and then I will occasionally have starbucks, because it happens to be the only thing available/nearest/cheapest - I honestly don't care for the taste.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#164

Post by UncleEntity »

winkelwagen wrote: post #11
chrisseaton wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how do coffee shops like Starbucks mange to support 20 working part time plus a corporate headquarters and make a profit, from the same small store you would operate as a hobby?

From what I understood is that not every Starbucks needs to be profitable. Some are insanely profitable, while others are just branding and marketing places that sell coffee. Of course there is a difference between not being profitable and bulking up insane losses each day, I think that is something Starbucks does well.

I've always wondered about this, there are 15 Starbucks within a 2 mile radius of where I live (just looked on google maps) and for some reason they don't seem to cannibalize each others sales enough for them to not keep building new stores, at least 3 of them have gone up within the last year or so.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#165

Post by chippy »

kakarot wrote: post #124
Tomte wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably not shitty, just oblivious. A Hackerspace in Germany was proud of its smartphone-activated door lock. I was less impressed on their open house event when I saw firsthand how they struggled to open it for several minutes (with no mechanical override on the inside!), while dozens of guests were there. When I voiced my safety concerns they simply didn't seem to understand. I mean it's just a fun hack, right?

No, actually just shitty. There were criminal charges. The two people mainly responsible got prison time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Oakland_warehouse_fire#Cr... Also that's crazy about that smart door... Pretty sure that's against fire code if it's one of the only exits. Ignorance isn't an excuse when other people's lives are concerned, either.

But the landlord didn't get charged, the people who leased the building from him did.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#166

Post by imglorp »

Hendrikto wrote: post #74
shriphani wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

gallery house in palo alto has an interesting model - membership comes with a volunteering requirement - it can't obviously reach the level of NY MOMA but it works well for Palo Alto and is a nice little gallery that has launched quite a few careers.

> volunteering requirement Isn’t that an oxymoron?

Another way to think about it is sweat equity. Habitat for Humanity is a great model here.

In the HUD model, you hand out housing to poor people. Sometimes they take care of it and prosper, but usually not. Places get trashed, fixtures and copper ripped from the walls, and that's the end. You get "the projects."

In the HFH model, recipients must have jobs, references, and commitment. They get ongoing support from HFH and the community, who come to help build their house. The recipients actually buy the houses with low-rate mortgages, plus they need to put in some sweat equity with HFH either working on their house or someone else's, or on a committee like fund raising. The result is a homeowner who takes pride in their house, who has the connections and support of their neighbors, and who is more likely to elevate the community, including neighbors who didn't qualify for HFH.

There are some lessons here for a community space.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#167

Post by ummonk »

cannonedhamster wrote: post #123
wiz21c wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be more interested on the "why being a manager". Considering how shitty the atmosphere seems, I wonder why people want to be managers at all...

For me, I really enjoy helping people grow into their best selves. A lot of that means protecting them from politics and giving them the space to do their jobs effectively, make mistakes, learn and grow. It really isn't for everyone, because there's a lot less tangible rewards and the payoff can be pretty long tail, but when you can see potential in someone and then see them grow into that potential, it's a really fu…

Yeah I'm not a manager, but this is exactly why the role appeals to me as a long term career option.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#168

Post by vertline3 »

intended wrote: post #55
FooHentai wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>These days you can't even ban assholes without everyone making like you're the one with a problem. That's been true since always. Speaking as someone that was in that position within a few online communities back in ~98 or so. Strange game. The only winning move is not to play.

Yup - first line of advice I give to family now is "shut your social profiles, and get off of the internet. Failing which here are the things you need to look out for" and the proceed to list a fraction of the issues that I know about, and see them get uncomfortable.

"Yup - first line of advice I give to family now is "shut your social profiles, and get off of the internet"

I don't have facebook, but I find I'm very pressured to use it and instagram for work related promotion...

I think the biggest problem is the addictive nature of it, followed by the self-esteem erosion. Does staying in contact outweigh the drawbacks?

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#169

Post by dang »

michaelcampbell wrote: post #60
dragonwriter wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would be more accurate to ask: “How the F can anyone make any money when Starbucks is on every other street corner and has the advantages of scale they have.” Source and roast your own beans, don't overroast the beans, charge a premium over Starbucks for not producing crap coffee from overroasted beans. Starbucks does some impressive work with the candy flavors it adds to distract from their coffee, but...

This is a thinly disguised rant of your tastes vs. Starbucks as opposed to any kind of actual answer. And kind of hipster pretentious douchey to those that may like it. Try again?

Personal attacks will get you banned here, regardless of how annoying another comment may be. Please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and don't post like this to HN.

Re: So You Want to Open a Small Press Bookstore/Artist-Run Space? A Cautionary Tale

#170

Post by biztos »

These two bits of advice really spoke to me:

> Consider being a for-profit.

and

> If you’re going to have a public space, try to find a cheap place you can buy and own.

I have, for a few years now, really wanted to start an art gallery, or at least something similar to an art gallery.

I've looked into the local equivalent of a nonprofit, and I've considered renting a super cheap space and keeping irregular hours and bla bla bla.

But I keep coming back to the idea that I want to really be in charge, even though I think it'll never make any money; and renting a loss-leader lifestyle storefront is a great way to achieve untenable fragility and poof it disappears at your next personal downturn, taking a chunk of your net worth with it.

I have no idea if I'll ever pull it off, but I'm increasingly attracted to the idea of forming an LTD and buying the cheapest space I can find... someday. Maybe in ten years.

In the meantime I am considering trying to do a pop-up version, which might be a stupid idea but would certainly be a learning experience and not have any recurring costs. The pop-up idea is, I think, useful for any kind of creative thing that doesn't require much equipment.

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