WEB-ONLY FEATURE: Catching Up With KISS Coffeehouse
Former Café Crossroads subject has become master of merchandisingBy Dan Leif
KISS Coffeehouse
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Brian Galvin, owner
In February 2007, Fresh Cup’s Café Crossroads section highlighted KISS Coffeehouse, a shop dedicated to the hard-charging, face-painted rock icons. Gene Simmons and blazing electric guitar riffs don’t exactly scream specialty coffee (and espresso purists may scoff at the shop’s frozen Rockuccinos and French Kiss lattes), but back in early ’07 owner Brian Galvin was confident his unique theme and tourist-laden location would make his newly formed store successful. With KISS set to release its first studio album in 11 years and having recently garnered a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it seemed like a good time to revisit the coffee shop that parties every day.
Q: How have things been going during the past couple of years?
A: We’ve learned a lot. What we’ve truly become are the masters of merchandise. We are a specialty coffee shop, but we’re really retail-tainment. We’ve found our customers will not only buy a frozen Rockuccino, which is our number one selling drink, but they’ll also go ahead and buy a souvenir T-shirt and collectible pins and shot glasses and almost anything you can come up with.
Q: Would you say you make more money from KISS merchandise than you do from drinks?
A: Merchandise is close to 60 percent of our sales now. And our average transaction is so much higher than a typical coffee shop. Our single highest transaction was in excess of $2000, if you can believe that. A young woman came in from Japan, and she bought one of everything. We’re really in the merchandising business and probably have more in common with Bass Pro Shops or the Disney Store than we do with Starbucks.
Q: What can other coffee retailers take away from your merchandising success story?
A: I think the operator needs to answer the question: What is the experience that they’re delivering? Whether it’s a soothing and calming environment or bustling “Cheers”-type atmosphere or a fair-trade, green, progressive vibe. That’s the critical piece for your branding. It starts there. The idea is to create some custom merchandise the customer will want in order to sort of re-create the experience away from the shop. It’s more than just slapping your logo on a promotional mug. Especially around the holidays, doing merchandise right can pay off huge. In my travels I’ve seen some great cafés, but I go in and I’m surprised there’s very little merchandise selection or none at all.
Q: Every year at your shop’s anniversary you have at least one member of the band come by for a meet-and-greet, and fans stream in by the thousands. How have you capitalized on that?
A: Those are always huge events. Fans say KISS Coffeehouse is their Graceland or their Woodstock. This year when [KISS drummer] Eric Singer was here we sold “audiographs.” We actually recorded a personal message for each fan. Then we downloaded it onto a personal keychain and also sent it to the customer as an MP3. The fans just love it. When you meet somebody, maybe you get something signed, but with an audiograph you can almost re-live that moment.
Q: Your Web site states you’re looking to open more shops through franchising.
A: The economy in the past year didn’t help things, but we’re looking at two opportunities right now. One in the United States and one international. They’re both is tourist destinations. But in the future I could see KISS Coffeehouses on cruise ships, in casinos or theme parks.
Q: The last time we talked, you mentioned the shop has KISS playing at all times. Are you getting sick of it yet?
A: There are so many KISS albums, and some of the members will release solo albums—and then there are so many bands that cover KISS songs that you do get a variety. It has to be that way. When a customer comes in, maybe they’re only there for 15 minutes or so, and they expect to hear KISS music. Plus, a lot of the kids that work in the shop are KISS fans anyway. They love it.
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