You know what downtown needs...

[Norwalk]

>shakes head

[laphoque]

Most bars have coffee and tables and food as well. There are tons downtown. Mudgie's isn't far either and they're open til 9 a lot.

Don't worry so much about feeling awkward, especially if you order food. And maybe you could make friends with the workers.

I don't know about a place being mostly downtown residents though. You might want to invite some downtown friends out for a drink.

Don't be afraid of the Wayne State & Detroit Public Libraries either.

[laphoque]

This is the only nonprofit cafe I know of: http://www2.metrotimes.com/culture/story.asp?id=14959

[Stosh]

What Detroit needs to do is import about 100,000 immigrants.

Yes, I can see that going over real well with a few in the city council. From where?

[Stosh]

This is the only nonprofit cafe I know of: http://www2.metrotimes.com/culture/story.asp?id=14959

That's truly a non-profit one all right. Free!

[jayclarkreid]

My wife and I live in Toronto and have visited Detroit numerous times over the past six months. We really like the city and are planning on moving there. My wife is a dual citizen and I would have to live in the US for a time to attain citizenship. That being said, we are seriously thinking of doing something of this nature in Detroit. I am wondering, however, after reading these posts, how difficult it might be to do something like this? It seems while perusing commercial property for lease that start-up costs would be quite minimal, there are myriad funding options open just in the city itself and all the areas we visited seemed to have friendly, thoughtful citizens who take great pride in Detroit. I wonder about the culture of fear that seems to prevail everywhere: stores, taxis, bars. What comes first? Fear of crime in general or being a target of crime and developing fear? A caveat: The areas in which we explored most were among the safest in the city; we bicycled almost everywhere and it was no problem. I kept a wad of cash in my pocked for drinks, cigarettes etc and was not even so much as eyeballed anywhere. What gives?

[canuck]

They probably smelled your wad of remaining canadian money and werent inner-rested. Kidding apart, welcome to Detroityes, and I hope you make a go of it, there is another Torontonian on this forum who has been living in Detroit for quite some time and swears by it. It takes people like you to turn things around and see the opportunities from a distant vantage. So, welcome to Detroit, by way of Montreal.

[laphoque]

My wife and I live in Toronto and have visited Detroit numerous times over the past six months. We really like the city and are planning on moving there. My wife is a dual citizen and I would have to live in the US for a time to attain citizenship. That being said, we are seriously thinking of doing something of this nature in Detroit. I am wondering, however, after reading these posts, how difficult it might be to do something like this? It seems while perusing commercial property for lease that start-up costs would be quite minimal, there are myriad funding options open just in the city itself and all the areas we visited seemed to have friendly, thoughtful citizens who take great pride in Detroit. I wonder about the culture of fear that seems to prevail everywhere: stores, taxis, bars. What comes first? Fear of crime in general or being a target of crime and developing fear? A caveat: The areas in which we explored most were among the safest in the city; we bicycled almost everywhere and it was no problem. I kept a wad of cash in my pocked for drinks, cigarettes etc and was not even so much as eyeballed anywhere. What gives?

Crime in other cities is an anomaly or bad luck. In Detroit, it reinforces stereotypes and gets more press and notice. It's a question of significance.

If you've ever been to Cafe 1923 or Cafe Con Leche you will see places where that has been working. They're just not open late, which is a shame and an opportunity.

I think if you had poetry readings, or such to get people used to the idea that a place is open late, you could get customers.

Hope to patronize you. Welcome.

[Gistok]

Looks like Coffee Shop owners may be trending away from stuff like wifi.

“I don’t think I’d ever do a bigger space with tables and chairs again,” Ms. Bell said. “I appreciate the idea of when you go someplace and it feels like a home away from home, but I don’t think it should be a home office away from home.” -New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/di...ffee.html?_r=1

I'm not surprised by this... you buy your $3 latte.... sit in a comfortable chair... spend hours doing your homework... or your work work.... get free Wifi, free lighting... free heating/air conditioning.... then how is a coffee shop supposed to make money??

I don't know... based on all the snarkiness on this thread and forum in general... to me it seems that folks with their laptops forever in front of them... they should be drinking LESS coffee, not more...

[Hermod]

Same in your neck of the woods, Hermod?

I live in Florida now [[suburbs of Ft Lauderdale). I have a Starbucks, a Panera Bread, and two local coffee shops within walking distance of my house. None of them were subsidized by the state gummint as a gift to the city..

[jayclarkreid]

I know that the chef at Atlas Global Bistro is a Torontonian as well. I haven't been there yet, but I'll probably bug him for info as well. Besides the obvious ie: Midtown, New Center, what neighbourhoods might support small business??

[terryh]

You first! I'd like you to make that a priority in your master plan for Detroit. I'm sure that banks would be streaming in to give you capital.

Isn't that what is usually called a living room ? Or an office? I can't imagine having people hang out all day sipping on one coffee would be profitable.

Actually Stosh, coffee shops tend to have menus that offer soup, sandwhiches and pastries. On the other hand, I can see vagrants-very aggresssive vagrants that is- being a major nuisance in certain parts of the city.

[G-DDT]

You've got Greektown and I used to go to Zoots, before it was clothing store, before it was a head shop.

Zoot's was the epitome of what the OP had in mind. It's a shame most folks didn't give it a chance or walked in on a night that just happened to not jive with their tastes. Granted non-smokers would've been very put-off, but Zoot's was scruffy, thus, lived in. The furniture was worn, folks got away with drinking [[and other things), loitering, making noise, etc., and still, it catered to all kinds [[including straight-edges). Sunday mornings the founder's mother would come in and play piano jazz standards to Roy Brooks drumming. Places that were too sterile, with uncomfortable wire-thin chairs and a revolving door treatment were not my style. I have yet to see anything like those coffeehouses from the '90s in Detroit [[Shadowbox, Asteroids, I/O) that had such a relaxed and diverse vibe.