I read about this unique coffee shop in the book “Authenticity” by James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine II. In trying to create a new blend (pun intended) of services, Union National Community Bank decided to open a full service coffee shop, which can also provide banking services. It is called Gold Cafe.
The book claims that the customer perceives this blend as an authentic offering because it is unique. I would love to see this in action. Would it feel like both a bank, and a coffee shop? Or would it feel like neither? Could the community profit from literally sitting down to a cup of coffee with the people who approve (or not) a mortgage?
In either case, I had to pass this one along. Anyone been here? Join in and let us know what it feels like!!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
What a brilliant idea for an organice combination of culure, commerce and community! Rad.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:51 am
My wife and I went in yesterday afternoon around 3:00. The coffee counter was dark and the coffee machines were all covered with plastic tarps. No one was behind the counter and the lights in the seating area were dark.
Instead, on the counter were two of those metal coffee dispensers, one labeled “Regular” and the other “Decaf” with a small stack of paper cups beside them.
On the specials board they had written “TALK TO A MANAGER ABOUT OPENING AN ACCOUNT TODAY.”
Not really the coffee experience we were hoping for.
October 14th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
How sad! Although hardly surprising at the moment…surely the financial crisis hit them as well!
Though they would have been better off to keep the coffee flowing with all the studies that show people are in a more “receptive” mood after drinking coffee.
Thanks for the update!
October 30th, 2008 at 10:42 am
[...] digging lead me to a blog called the Coffee Shop Journal, where discussion about the Gold Cafe included the comment on October 14, 2008: “My wife and [...]
December 8th, 2008 at 12:50 am
the company that had been running the coffee shops recently went out of business (i worked for them…) whether they will try to reopen it i dont know…