How to Open A Coffee Shop within A Month?

The moment the door was pushed open, the wind, carrying the burnt aroma of the latte, rushed over. The suspended glass decorations on the ceiling swayed gently with the ventilation. The texture of the fan-shaped decorative wall shone with a warm light under the spotlights. The light green cushions of the chairs leaned against the round dining table, and even the croissants in the display cabinet were placed just right. No one could tell that just a week ago, this place was still a roughcast house with a freshly paved floor.

Many people say that "it takes at least three months to open a coffee shop", but DESIRE's 30-day landing is actually "breaking down each step into a countdown", and then filling it with design details - such as the arched arches and fan-shaped decorative walls you see, all of which are "time-saving without losing style" little thoughts.

Week 1: Set the tone + Seize Resources

After going through 200 reference pictures, I finally set my sights on the current "light wabi-sabi + soft modernity" : like the wall in the store, with a light grey texture as the base and over a dozen fan-shaped decorations (wooden hooks + semi-transparent materials) hanging on it, it has the texture of wabi-sabi but is not as cold as a pure cement wall. The arched arches and glass partitions do not require the construction of walls. They can not only make the space appear larger by taking in the light from outside the window, but also divide the space into "ordering area - leisure area", avoiding congestion.

The day after the style was set, I plunged into the rental group of the ground-floor shops in the business district - aiming to snatch the "unfinished but electricized" shops. Many people are afraid that it's troublesome to have a rough finish, but ready-made fully-furnished stores either have an incorrect style (dismantling and renovating take more time) or have a high transfer fee. The place I chose had a previous tenant who was a building materials store. Water, electricity and sewage were all ready. I got the keys on the very day I signed the contract.

With only three days left, I pulled the designer to do just one thing: "Make all the decorations into prefabricated parts." The fan-shaped decorative wall is a factory-made module that can be hung as soon as it is received. The glass decoration on the ceiling is custom-made acrylic sheets and does not require on-site cutting. Even the display stand was a ready-made white metal model - the designer initially wanted to make a stand welded on site, but I rejected it: "Saving three days is more important than being unique."

Week 2: Dual Promotion of decoration and licenses

The key word for the second week was "synchronization" : On the day the decoration team entered the site, I went to the government service hall with the lease contract in hand.

For decoration, only "light hard decoration" is done: On the first day, apply texture paint (choose the quick-drying type, and it can be touched 2 hours after application). The next day, install the prefabricated decorative panels (the vertical patterned panels on the wall are glued on, no nails are needed). On the third day, the terrazzo floor was laid - 2cm thick prefabricated slabs were chosen, which saved 5 days of curing time compared to the freshly watered terrazzo. It could be walked on the same day after laying. The most time-consuming part is the arched arch: it uses prefabricated aluminum alloy frames, which are assembled and fixed on site, and then glass is installed. It can be completed in half a day, which is a whole week faster than the brick-built arch.

For the licenses and certificates, I went through a "parallel process" : I submitted an application for a business license (online, with an electronic certificate issued in one day), and at the same time, I asked two staff members to apply for health certificates (at the community hospital, they can get them in as fast as three days). On the day I received the business license, I immediately submitted the materials for the food business license - I asked the market Supervision Bureau in advance. As long as the layout plan of the site (drawn by the designer in advance), health certificate and equipment list are all in place, I can go through the "Fast processing for Catering", and the license will be issued within 3 days.

On Tuesday night, I watched the decoration team finish pasting the last decorative board. On Wednesday morning, I got the acceptance form for the food business license - at that time, the smell in the store was still a mixture of paint and new boards, but at least the time wasn't wasted.

Week 3: Installation of equipment and soft furnishings

The third week is a week of "filling things up", and also the one most prone to chaos - equipment, soft furnishings, and materials have to be delivered on time. Even a single day's delay could delay the trial operation.

The equipment was ordered 10 days in advance: the core coffee machine was a commercial model (it was agreed with the supplier in advance that it would be delivered and installed within 3 days), the display cabinet was the white transparent model in the store (echoing the light tone of the fan-shaped decoration), and the refrigeration cabinet was embedded in the counter (saving space and making the ordering area neater). The coffee machine was delivered on Wednesday. The master adjusted it on the spot for two hours and taught the staff how to make milk foam at the same time. On Thursday, the display cabinet entered the store. After placing croissants and muffins, the "coffee shop flavor" of the entire store finally emerged.

Soft furnishings should be "filled in according to the style" : The big olive tree at the entrance was ordered from the local flower market (faster than online shopping and you can also choose the quality), the light wooden chairs with light green cushions (perfectly matching the texture color of the wall), and the suspended glass decoration on the ceiling was hung on the last day - when the master was standing on the ladder stringing acrylic sheets, I suddenly felt, "This store is really going to open."

There's also the lighting: embedded spotlights shine on the fan-shaped decorative walls, track lights illuminate the display cabinets, and a row of black chandeliers is hung above the bar counter - initially, white was chosen, but the designer said, "Adding a bit of dark color can outshine the light tones." After installation, it indeed doesn't float.

Week 4: Trial Operation + Fine-tuning - Turning "Fast" into "Comfortable"

In the last week, I didn't rush to open the business. Instead, I conducted a "two-day small-scale trial operation" - I invited 20 friends to come in two batches, in the morning and afternoon, to test both the products and the usability of the space.

On the first day, there was a problem: a friend said, "The croissants in the display cabinet can't be seen clearly." I looked up and found that the Angle of the track lights was wrong, and all the light was shining on the glass. Some people also said that the food pick-up area was crowded because I placed the olive tree too close to the bar counter. That night, I asked the electrician to adjust the Angle of the lights and moved the olive tree half a meter towards the door - the space instantly became more relaxed.

The next day when I tried the food, someone asked, "Where is the menu?" Only then did I realize that the poster on the wall was too small (the designer chose a thin font for a better look). So I temporarily printed a few A3-sized menus and pasted them beside the bar counter. Another friend said, "The chair is a bit hard." I bought a thickened cushion overnight - although it was a "quick store opening", the experience couldn't just make do.

On the trial operation day of Saturday, the first customer to push the door open and come in was a girl. She took a photo of the fan-shaped decorative wall and posted it on her Moments, with the caption, "The lighting in this store is so beautiful." At that time, I was leaning against the counter, smelling the aroma of latte, and suddenly felt that all the 30 days of staying up late, urging for orders, and adjusting the lights were worth it.