Moby’s coffee house, located in the Liberty Plaza building in downtown Winston-Salem is under new management now and is called the Sands Coffee House, with an expressed beach decor now as befitting its name. Moby’s is a coffee house chain that started in Mount Airy a few years back and it has a decidedly different business philosophy for the business as it considered itself to be a Christian coffee house.
I guess as a prospective chain of coffee houses, it did not last long. A few weeks back, I had some business to take care of in North Winston, and at a shopping center in the University and Hanes Mill Rd area, there was a Moby’s coffee house dark and empty. I guess if Starbucks had to close locations and if everyone gets into the gourmet coffee game like McDonalds, then it will be difficult for independent coffee houses to survive. Even Bruegers/Dilworth Coffee closed its downtown location with so much competition from other nearby coffee houses including the new Brew Nerds.
Still, if positioned right, independent coffee houses can survive. One such place is close to where I live now in South Winston, Confluence Coffee located on Hwy150/ Peters Creek Parkway near Old Salisbury Rd.
While there is a McDonalds nearby and a Sheetz gas station, both of which offer gourmet coffees of various kinds. Confluence coffee provides something a bit more. The location does not look like a typical coffee house; more like a converted hall of sorts. But inside, it has a wide open floor plan that offers various seating arrangements. There are table & chairs set up in one area; pub tables along the walk; an internet area with two iMacs, two lounge areas with leather chairs and big screen televisions, a children’s play area with a glass wall so that you can your kids. Unlike many coffee houses, this place can easily sit 40 or more people at a time.
Now south Winston/north Davidson may not be the most cosmopolitan area of Winston but people need a place to and chill for a while But more than that, this location offers meeting rooms so that local groups can get together. As well, there is, downstairs, an entertainment venue that offers a stage for music and entertainment. Music acts are booked on a regular basis. In a way, this place is more like a community center than a coffee shop. But then again, that probably reflects the philosophy of the owners, the River Church. It is a true meeting place.
So in many ways, it is more of a Christian coffee shop Moby’s ever was but if you ever go there, you would not know the difference from any other coffee shop. It is a nice place to go either by yourself, with friends or with family. As well, they make a decent latte and the chocolate bundt cake is great.
[...] Vote Confluence coffee [...]
The people who owned the Moby’s in NW Guilford county cut ties and now run it as an independent coffee shop. I believe 1 owner bought out the other. The current owner was quoted in the newspaper as saying for what they were paying to run a franchise, she didn’t feel Moby’s was offering a lot.
Though it’s near my house, I don’t frequent it often. I know I should support local business but I usually go to a coffee house closer to my work.
Well, Starbucks use to say that its coffees were a way for people to enjoy a luxury that did not cost too much. But in these times, I guess want a bit more for their $4 lattes.
It would not surprise me about the franchise problems. Coffee shops are something that most people could run without needing a corporate overseer. I think more than anything else, it is location that will dictate the success of a coffee house whether near downtown offices or in a bookstore or in a high traffic shopping area. People are used to these coffees now, almost as a commodity since I doubt most people can really distinguish a latte from one coffee place or another.