Adventures at Coffee Fest
Microcosm VP Elly reports on one woman’s quest to befriend the bean beverage trade
Last week, I attended Coffee Fest in Portland. Cafes are one sector where Microcosm’s business is holding steady, despite the fact that we haven’t been doing much much to reach out to them. I wanted to learn how to better serve these shops and see what I could learn, so I spent one Friday walking around a giant Oregon Convention Center hall, recklessly accepting every sample someone offered me and talking to a lot of really kind people about the many facets of the coffee biz.
To prepare for the event, I pulled together a list of our books and products that have been hits with coffee shops. We talk a lot about market segmentation at Microcosm, and I had assumed that coffee shops would mostly be what we classify as Specialty accounts: places with a deep expertise in one topic, looking to share new facets of that topic through books and zines. In this case, books about coffee and tea, how to make it, its growing regions, coffee culture, etc.
But actually, our data revealed that coffee shops tend to buy more in line with stores we classify as Gift: places that use books to convey a vibe. Our top bestsellers to these accounts, by a wiiiide margin, are the coloring books My Vag and Stoner Babes. One store owner, Katie Prinsen of the gorgeously curated Prince Coffee here in Portland, spelled out why: “Atmosphere and vibe are key in any coffeeshop,” she explained during a panel on merchandising. She aims for her shelves to “look like beautiful art” and believes that “books are in line with a perfect morning coffee experience.” I couldn’t agree more!
Interestingly, most of the cafe owners and buyers I spoke with at the trade show don’t sell books yet—and they assumed the same thing I did, that their customers would just want books about coffee. It’s easy to think of themselves as running a specialty store, and surely some of them are, with people coming in to sample different blends, do cuppings, and gain a coffee education. But I suspect that most would do better thinking of themselves as gift stores, or even something more akin to a bookstore (yet another market channel!)—places where customer purchases are driven by the atmosphere.
I know when I go to a coffeeshop I love, it’s because they’ve created a welcoming place to talk with friends or have a moment of calm to reflect on my day (or take a break from reflecting on my day). I’m almost never thinking about coffee, except to enjoy my beverage. The last thing I bought from a coffeeshop was a branded sticker that said “Keep it local!” from the aptly named Kind Coffee, where I keep coming back because they always effusively compliment my dog.
I came away from Coffee Fest with a caffeine buzz and an appreciation for the basic kindness of people who go into this industry built on creating hospitable third places. I also came away thinking in new ways about “stores that don’t normally carry books,” which make up the majority of our customer base. I wonder how many of them we could better serve by inviting them to think of themselves as a different type of store than they usually do. It’s so easy to put ourselves, and each other, into boxes; and so glorious to have the moment of connection when a customer lights up, seeing something on your shelves that they didn’t even realize they wanted.
Want to keep learning along with me? I’m going to a garden show next and am excited to share whatever insights grow from that fertile ground! Stay tuned right here.
