Experiencing Yinzhou’s Coffee Street |?远离写字楼的咖啡街一览
Written by (作者):?Agnes Tong 童安然
Photos by (图片来源):?Summer Kong孔维阁, Agnes Tong 童安然
I remember my first year in business school at UNNC. The teacher asked us a question about whether Starbucks is a landmark in a second-tier Chinese city like Ningbo. Then they added “put it this way, would you tell your friends ‘lets meet at the Starbucks in Tianyi?’” I doubted it, but my classmates didn’t. I felt that since there were many coffee shops – local and foreign – challenging Starbucks in Ningbo that there was definitely a better choice. I remained skeptical for a few years until a few weeks ago, when I spent an afternoon on Coffee Street near Wanda Plaza in Yinzhou.
The Coffee Street is basically a lane of several artisan, locally owned coffee shops situated along a compound a few blocks from CBD and Wanda. The striking thing is how similar all the shops are. All of the owners we spoke with started the business out of their love for coffee, there were only one or two customers at most when we entered around peak hours and their location didn’t fit their target customers. To really put the nail in the coffin, not one of them had an eye-catching or impressive product that made them unique except fancy interiors.
All of the owners claimed they started the shop for the same reason: to share their love of coffee with others. One owner we spoke with even gave up his successful trading business to pursue his dream. Trouble is, these dreams weren’t quite lived out. When we walked into most of the shops, we didn’t feel at all welcome. The employees were either minding their own business or making a mediocre attempt at a latte, let alone conversation. Each new shop we went to, I missed Starbucks more and more: with baristas that remember your name, how you like your coffee milked or the amount of ice you prefer. My point is, the way you are served a certain product leads to affection for said product. In this case, even assembly-line manufactured smiles and training beats lackluster service.
All the shops said that they had a different target market than Starbucks, but I didn’t see much of a difference. While I would have once agreed with them, their location completely changed my mind. First of all, the distance from the major sections of Yinzhou really matters. For instance, if I was shopping in Wanda and felt the need for a coffee break, I wouldn’t bother walking a few hundred meters to this place when I could get something in the mall. Furthermore, the old compound isn’t bohemian or chic. The only potential customers to the place live in the compound, aka the senior citizens, their children, their grandchildren, and housewives. These people didn’t seem like the type to grab a cappuccino with their besties or arrange a casual business meeting over coffee and snacks. Based on my observations, I felt what the compound residents needed was several down-to-earth restaurants and reliable to-go service.
When one thinks about Starbucks, the first thing that comes to mind is their signature product, the Frappuccino. Admittedly, it is creamy and high in calories, intimidating for a gym rat like me, but there comes a time when you get a sweet-tooth and feel like a treat. That’s where the Frappuccino comes in. A beverage represents more than something to drink, and that builds up brand value.
Meanwhile, on the Coffee Street, none of them had a unique product or theme. One of them came up with a smart movie reference when they started out, which attracted customers at the beginning. All it ended up being was a business gimmick, though. There was no follow-through to make the reference an integral part of the shop’s culture, just a temporary gimmick.
To sum it up, Coffee Street carries with it no bold ideas business-wise, but at least it gives people some variety where they need it. For the record, I’m not a fan of Starbucks, but it is easy to understand the business of coffee shops with the franchise as a parameter for comparison. Some of the coffee shops are doing great by baking their own beans, hiring certified baristas, mixing dancing classes with coffee tastings. Still, there is room for development. Feel free to check the place out though, you might get a different perspective.
记得商学院的第一年，老师问我们一个问题，星巴克可以作为像宁波这样二线城市的地标建筑吗？或另一种问法，你会和你朋友约在天一广场旁边的星巴克见面吗？我觉得不会，但几乎马上就被全班同学反驳。我的理由是，有其他的连锁咖啡品牌在挑战星巴克的位置，比如那些韩国、英国品牌甚至独立咖啡馆，但他们告诉我星巴克仍然占据了统治地位。这两年我一直对这问题持怀疑态度，直到昨天下午在鄞州万达广场旁咖啡街的经历，让我彻底被说服。
所说的咖啡街其实就是在一个老小区里相对集中的几家咖啡店，在商务中心区万达广场几个街区之远。他们有几个共同点，第一点，老板都是出于对咖啡的热爱选择开店，第二点，在理应人满为患的时间点都只有一两个顾客，第三点，选址与市场定位不符，最后，他们都没有让他们独一无二的产品。
谈到店主，在与几个店主交流过之后，他们都抱着让更多人喜欢咖啡的想法开的店，其中一位甚至放弃了原本成功的外贸生意。事实上，他们没有做到的还有很多。顾客走进店门时感受不到被这种咖啡文化所欢迎，雇佣的工作人员不是在做自己的事情就是端上一杯很一般的拿铁，想都不要想会有什么随性自然的交流了。经历这些之后，我格外想念星巴克，那里的咖啡师记得你的名字，记得你的咖啡要加多少奶放几块冰。我的意思是，人们对一个产品的喜爱很大程度上被服务的质量所决定，这种情况下，就算是流水线生产的微笑和训练也好过不专业的服务。
这些咖啡店的店主都认为他们和星巴克有着不同的目标客户，说实话，我看不出有任何不同。我以前认为他们是对的，但这些店的选址彻底改变了我的看法。首先，他们和CBD的距离确实是个问题。举个例子，如果我在万达逛街，突然想喝杯咖啡休息一下，我不会想要走个几百米到这来，因为在商场里面就有更方便的选择。第二点，这个老小区完全不时髦现代。这里最有可能的目标客户群不是年轻人，是小区里带着孙子孙女的老年人和主妇们，你不会期待看见他们和闺蜜在咖啡店里享受下午茶，或者和生意伙伴们开一个简短的会议。以我的观察和经验来说，这些人需要的，仅是几个接地气的饭馆和靠谱的外卖服务。
最后要说的是，当我们想到星巴克，星冰乐像是他们的招牌产品，虽然那些奶油覆盖的高卡路里食物往往让健身人士敬而远之，但是，总有一些时候你想吃甜食，或者克服了一些困难之后你会想奖励自己。我的意思是，一款特定的饮料有时不止是饮料这么简单，它代表的是人们孜孜以求的品牌价值。就咖啡街来说，其中有一家店在开业时加入了一个电影梗，吸引了很多顾客，但他们更把这个当做一个商业噱头，没有后续的工作来把这个想法和咖啡文化更好地融合为整体，只是作为一个短暂的吸睛伎俩。
总的来说，咖啡街就商业意义而言并不是一个大胆的想法，但至少这些人在试着给人们的生活注入更新奇的元素。说明一下我并不是星巴克粉，只是觉得把它作为一个对照参数更方便理解。有一些咖啡店做的很不错，他们烘焙自己的豆子，聘请有执照认证的咖啡师，把舞蹈工作室和咖啡店巧妙融合。不管怎么样，未来发展的空间仍然很大，大家可以去那里玩一玩，说不定能看到和我完全不同的角度。