Taking a neighborhood stroll Sunday morning, I came across a wifi coffee shop which I had thought (unfortunately) went under. It turns out, that it had, but it has also been given a rebirth, this time with a Real Estate spin to it.
@Spot re-opened its doors earlier this year in conjunction with Chicago based @Properties. The new venture, if successful, will be 1 of 4 planned rollouts for this year.
The concept is to help brand @Properties to the demographic that is also searching online for homes. Keying in on this trend could prove to be strategic in deeply establishing and maintaining a foothold within the competitive Chicago Market.
I really like this idea. As brokers are wrestling where to apply their advertising budget, why not establish a dedicated presence right in the neighborhoods in which they serve without opening a full blown office?
Could this concept be taken one step further, and compound it with ‘virtual offices’. Add in a conference room, voice-over-ip soft phones, access controlled printing and you have a branch office that a typical on-the-go agent can work out of.
What better way to establish a neighborhood image, all at the same time of getting prospective clients in the door. Plus its a whole lot cheaper than buying a sports arena!
Now, can I expense my coffee while there, as I will be doing industry research?
Great idea. We’ll have to start on in Toronto.
Interesting idea. We’re not talking about a big place are we? A small “starbucks” like coffee shop with more tools for techies with an aim at real estate would be a place I’d surely stop by to visit.
@Steve - yeah, its a tiny place. Probably has seating (couch and tables) to accomodate 15 people. Very neighborhood coffee shop feel. I will probably check it out again this weekend, but this time with my laptop and do some work!
I love it! Thanks for sharing this story with us… how truely inspiring.
Guess we’d HAVE to serve ice coffee here though.