Have you ever gone into your favorite café and wished that they also sold men's clothing? Or gone for a pastry and lamented the lack of motorcycle shop in the back? If that sounds familiar, you may want to consider relocating to South Africa.
A recent New York Times editorial explores a Cape Town phenomenon that has been happening over the last several years, in which business savvy entrepreneurs are combining seemingly unrelated businesses under one roof.
"I Love My Laundry" appears from the outside to be an inappropriately named café. Step inside, however, and you'll start to see some clues that hint at the origins of this strange name. The decorations include clothespins and pictures hung from clotheslines, and that's because the establishment is actually a full featured laundry delivery service. Even more mind boggling is the fact that the laundry service is the
primary business, while the coffee shop is a front, of sorts.
Other examples include a gallery that now houses a full service restaurant, as well as an advertising agency upstairs. The idea of combined, unrelated businesses has been gaining serious traction in Cape Town, to the point that they are almost becoming common. There are combination motorcycle/café/men's apparel stores, and even a business selling modern furniture in a pastry shop.
While the article quotes some South Africans who have attributed this trend to the city's unique ingenuity and appreciation of creative endeavors, others have noted that it may be a result of the economic downturn, with businesses looking to bolster their bottom line by having two revenue generators in one space. In America, we do see some businesses combined, such as café/bookstores, but generally the pair is somehow related (have a latté while you read and browse).
If you could open a Cape Town style combination business, what two, or even three, ideas would you merge together? Perhaps a restaurant with computer repair service upstairs, or a frozen yogurt bicycle repair shop? Let us know your ideas via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
Source:
New York Times,
Flickr
Tablebases.com
