Background
The Peekskill Coffee House opened its doors in June of 2003. We are located in the center of the towns historical area occupying the ground floor of the historical Flatiron Building. Peekskill is a Hudson River Town aprox. 1 hour away from NYC. We offer one of the best cups of coffee in Westchester county. The atmosphere is eclectic (non corporate/cookie cutter style) with vintage mismatched furniture, soothing colors, 15 ft windows, tin ceiling and original hard wood floors. We offer free wifi, free music on the weekends and of course only the BEST coffee from around the world. www.peekskillcoffee.com
Keys to Success
The Peekskill Coffee House takes pride in its success and attributes it to its commitment to the community, excellent coffee and great customer service. We believe in the original idea of the coffee house. A place where people meet to work, socialize, express ideals and enjoy great coffee. We know our customers names and what they drink. Our baristas are trained, make consistently excellent drinks and have a knowledge of coffee. We understand the need for systemization but are convinced that this can be done with out creating a place where employees and the atmosphere are just a cookie cutter copy of a bigger named corporation. We believe that you loose the quality of your product by making everything automatic. A great cappuccino doesn't come from just the machine, the barista needs to know what they are doing and the coffee must be fresh and of a superior quality. Our employees are treated with respect as individuals they are not just rotating faceless, nameless bodies in branded uniforms. We are real people serving real people. Our sales continually increase at huge rates. We are always getting new customers. The only advertising we do is community based and word of mouth. We are also focused on our product. We are in the business of coffee and we do it well. We offer great baked goods and fine pastries but we don't serve sandwiches, soup or make breakfast.
Special Events
The Peekskill Coffee House has events on almost every Friday and Saturday night as well as on Sunday Afternoons. www.peekskillcoffee.com
Target Customers
We have customers from 2 years old to 90. Our atmosphere appeals to everyone, parents with their children, church goers, high-school and college student, doctors, lawyers, city workers, police officers, truck drivers, you name it we serve them. Once they try our coffee its hard to drink any other.
Challenges Faced
Our biggest challenge has been learning how to create a business that we work on and not in. Creating operational systems, policies and procedures was not thought about in the beginning.
Trying to do this while working in the shop is quite difficult. We are now delegating tasks to help manage our time. Focusing on creating systems that let our employees know what they are accountable for and what is expected, training, and team motivation.
Where We're Headed
We have seen our community flourish from having the coffee house be a presence in our town. We have heard countless stories of how our establishment has made an impact in peoples lives. We would like to see other communities benefit from having a coffee house that brings people together. Our world is moving so fast, neighbors don't talk to each other, communities are disconnected and individuals are isolated. Places like The Peekskill Coffee House can change this. We would like to continue to help bring people together here and elsewhere.
