In a world made increasingly mobile by laptops, Wi-Fi and cell phones, coffee shops and bookstores are becoming the trendy place for small businesses to hang their shingles.
Fitness trainer Terrence Thomas, 32, regularly stakes out a spot in Borders, or Starbucks. On this day, Thomas wears his polo shirt emblazoned with his company logo, a free billboard for his upstart business. He checks his e-mail, zips off a few, too. His new office in Hallandale Beach will be ready soon. In the meantime, the Aventura Borders suits him fine. "I'll probably come here even when I have an office," Thomas admits. "You know, for a change of pace."
Many people spend a good chunk of their workday in these virtual extensions of their office, where the rich, nutty scent of coffee mixes with entrepreneurial flavor. Some are here for convenience. Others for cafe culture. And some, because doing business in public makes them feel important.
It is the "vibe" of Starbucks on the northern outskirts of downtown Miami that draws Thomas Boisvert. Where some see a table and chairs, Boisvert sees a spot ideal for holding business meetings.
At 1:30 p.m. Boisvert has settled into a suede corner chair with his file cabinet on the floor next to him, his laptop plugged into the outlet, his cappuccino and cell phone resting on a small table. It will be seven hours before Boisvert, who works as program director for Teach for America, leaves the coffee shop. For now, he clacks on his keyboard and eyes the chair next to him, trying to get dibs before his line up of afternoon appointments (stroll in) join him. Boisvert prefers Starbucks to his real office in South Miami, for the coffee and ambience.
"The employees here recognize me," Boisvert says, "I've had about 60 meetings at this location."
Initially, the free Wi-Fi connection for Internet use drew entrepreneurs and small business owners to these hotspots. While some chains like Panera Bread still offer it free, others like Starbucks and Borders offer the service for a fee through T-mobile or other providers. But these locations have evolved into much more than an Internet hookup.
Real estate agents congregate at the Aventura Starbucks, meeting with prospective customers in a safe environment. Lawyers chug their morning coffee at Starbucks in Coral Gables, hashing out details of agreements before heading to the nearby courthouse. Small business owners court investors at the Barnes & Noble in Plantation, midway between Miami and Boca Raton.
"The social reality is that these are very comfortable places," says Bob Preziosi, professor of management at H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University. The younger generation in particular, he says, is intimidated by throwing ideas around a wooden conference room table. "(Coffee shops) are a lot less inhibiting than traditional offices."
That is why Diane and Paul Allen, owners of a commercial real estate marketing firm, are meeting with their 20-something Web designer at the Barnes & Noble cafe in Plantation instead of their Weston office. "It's a lot more relaxed a setting to view and compare files."
Others use Wi-Fi cafes to work without distractions from co-workers, phone calls or even from kids.
Linda Kurtz, a pharmaceutical representative and working mom, retreats to bookstores and coffee shops in between sales calls. "I can crank out work and eat lunch or drink coffee without interruptions."
But don't be fooled -- these Wi-Fi cafes have their office politics, too. Farooq Javad knows this to be true after spending months trying to get a business started from his laptop at Barnes & Nobles in Pembroke Pines. "That's the prime spot over there," Javad says, pointing to the wall. "It's kind of like the corner office because it's where the outlets are."
Over at this "corner office," Serge and Rafa have commandeered a table for hours, days actually. The two are crunching numbers, entering data and putting finishing touches on a business plan that will help them expand their two-year-old technology company.
This lingering is a conundrum for cafe managers. Borders spokeswoman Holley Stein acknowledges some managers have had complaints from patrons who resent table hogs or loud cell phone talkers. Signs on the cafe tables discourage people who use Wi-Fi without making a purchase. But managers never ask anyone to leave.
"We consider ourselves a community gathering place for people to use for what they like, Stein says, "We want to be welcoming."
Some small cafe owners have developed a strategy for dealing with lingering patrons, asking politely with frequency whether her or she needs food or coffee.
Miguel Del Villar, manager of the Starbucks on Coral Gables' Miracle Mile in Miami, says he knows most of the people who use his coffee shop as virtual offices and caters to them. Most buy lots of coffee. "I'll go up and ask them if they are finished with their cup and if I can throw it away for them and if they want more. We want them to come here more than their office."
Del Villar says the long hours his shop is open adds to the draw, luring people who want to leave work but don't want to face their commute.
"We've created an environment that is relaxed but where they can still be productive."
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(c) 2006, The Miami Herald. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via Newscom. Photo
