If you’re a regular commuter passing
through the Gorst hairpin (bent hairpin more like) you’ll have
noticed some recent activity on the site of the
former Espresso Gone Wild, now closed. Workers are constructing
a new stand and, according to Rochelle Calleros, manager of the
soon-to-open Espresso Gone Crazy, utilities are in. She and owner
J.J. Wilson of South Kitsap are only waiting on the county to issue
final approval before they can open for business. Calleros
estimates it will be within a couple of weeks.
Espresso Gone Crazy is not in any way affiliated with the owner
of Gone Wild, who had his stand and all its equipment listed for
sale on Craigslist in May. Calleros, however, is a former employee,
and the new stand also will feature baristas in bikinis and
less.
“Hey, it’s a business. You have to stand out,” she said.
But really, what’s the big deal? Businesses open every day in
Kitsap County, and to tell you the truth, from a media point of
view, we think we’ve pretty much
saturated the market with
coverage of baristas lacking coverage. The
ooh-ah front page story of 2008 has gotten so much exposure
that it’s lost its novelty. Here it is again, barely blog
fodder.
Calleros, a recent UW grad with a degree in business management,
is keenly aware of market saturation. She wrote a research paper on
the espresso business in Kitsap County and found that the county
has a notably high number of stands per capita. Those that do best,
she says, are the bikini barista stands, but even those need a new
twist to compete.
Calleros’ marketing plan is to take a good thing and make it
better, to capitalize on “missed opportunities.” She will introduce
new promotions aimed at the military, their “number one customer
base,” and construction workers, who follow a close second.
Tuesdays will be “hard hat day.” Show up in your Carhartts and
steel-toed boots and you’ll get a discount. Thursdays, same deal
for members of the military. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the
stand will reprise pastie days.
Calleros, 22, a Bremerton resident, is from upper state New
York. Her husband is in the Navy. She sees opportunity in reverse
geographical marketing. Whereas most business trends tend to work
their way from east to west, with espresso, the prevailing winds
are definitely moving in the opposite direction, she said.
“Coming to this area, my eyes opened wide,” she said. “Espresso
here is a huge business, and it hasn’t kicked in across the
country.”
Reaching out to the community is another missed opportunity
Calleros doesn’t intend to pass by. She is working with local
companies for bakery and dairy products. She also plans to hold
fund-raisers for various causes. “It’s getting your brand known and
getting people to like you,” she said.
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