Author Topic: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop  (Read 15229 times)

Chris K

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Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« on: July 04, 2010, 11:30:57 AM »
A friend who owns a restaurant invites me over to look at an adjacent space... says he wants part to expand the restaurant, part for a small wine shop and then says:

"Would you think about opening a cheese shop in this space?"   8)

Those who read my intro thread know this is why I joined here... pondering opening my own place.

The craziness is, of course, I've never even worked at a cheese shop and never owned my own business. 25 years in an office/corporate job.

Maybe this is a sign that I need to take the risk and dive in.

To make this work my wife, currently out of work, would need to be the day labor and I would need to keep my office job for some time. We'd have to start small and aim to eventually grow into the shop I dream of, La Fromagerie inMarleybone, London.

Nervous!
« Last Edit: July 05, 2010, 09:19:01 PM by Chris K »

Cheese Head

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Re: So last night...
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2010, 06:23:12 PM »
Hi Chris, wow huge commitment, your wife has really want to do this, I have no idea but there must be many online guides to starting your own business such as location, business plan, etc, frankly I've never heard of a cheese store in/beside a rest, here in Houston TX there are quite a few takeaway Desert stores/booths in restaurants. Maybe it would work if you sold takeaway cheese and crackers for rest customers to have a cheese desert at home.

Gina

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Re: So last night...
« Reply #2 on: July 04, 2010, 11:41:26 PM »
Huge committment indeed. But that could work well if your friend's restaurant serves the cheeses that you also would be selling.

iratherfly

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Re: So last night...
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2010, 05:52:33 AM »
Had the same experience last month with a chef asking me to develop a custom cheese menu of 8 original cheeses for his well-known Manhattan restaurant. Like you... I too do other things (as a matter of fact, I am now working on two technology startups so this can't be a priority). But of course.... how can you say no? I am no looking for a facility to fabricate the cheese. I think you may have found your calling!

Where in the country are you located? Not every town here is ready for a store like La Fromagerie, Artisanal, Murray's or Barthelemy...
That being said, you may want to think of a good fromagerie model that would not have you depend on retail clients alone. Aging cheese for others, doing custom pairings for chefs of the better restaurants in your areas, doing cheese and wine tastings and classes, even distributing cheese of other farmstead/artisanal cheesemakers in your area - these can all be profitable activities.

Chris K

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Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2010, 01:22:23 PM »
Thanks gang-
You expressed some great ideas that were in my original plan.

I'm in the Twin Cities. We're not going to be able to support a La Fromagerie in scale in the particular area I'm looking at. But hey, she started with a cart in the market. I would like, eventually, for the focus of the cheese and meats to be a highly curated and largely local selection. Shopping local is an important part of this for me that resonates well in the community.  There are probably 200 cheese makers within a few hundred miles. Adding a cheese aging room is part of the long range goal- putting it on display ala some of the best shops. Eventually having a staff that really knows the products, is involved in making etc.


We would indeed sell the cheeses that the restaurant features. Cut to order. Frequently patrons ask "where can I get this cheese? Those olives? This oil? Those almonds? We'd make all of that available. A number of the core patrons of the restaurant host parties, wine tastings etc in their home. We’d consult that/provide etc.  There are other restaurants in the neighborhood. I’d love to support them too.

Additionally we'd sell the same charcuterie (which would eventually, possibly be made by one of the chefs). For now we'd stick with brands the restaurant can use it's buying power to get at a good price.


We would work to put together takeaway packages with the wine shop. Ideas that came to mind would be a takeaway for people heading north to their summer cabins. There is a steady migration out of town up north every Friday through the summer. We could put together a hunter’s package for the Fall, too.

My wife's labor- it’s a good question. Her touches in setting up the store and displays would be great. Not sure, however, if she is up for working retail and would  be on her feet 10 hours a day. Much discussing to do.
I do know an experienced seller in town who, when I first mentioned this idea a few months ago, said he would tell me whatever he could. May be time to go moonlight a bit and learn this summer.

I appreciate the ideas- keep them coming, please. Perhaps this thread can grow to be a resource for others hoping to support locally-sourced, cut-to-order cheese shops!



« Last Edit: July 05, 2010, 09:19:23 PM by Chris K »

Chris K

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Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2010, 01:35:49 PM »
One other small note. My wife is also a hobby beekeeper anbd we produce a fair amount each year from a couple of hives. A few quarts of which is sold each year to the restaurant. We might  bottle and retail that as well.

 
« Last Edit: July 05, 2010, 09:20:34 PM by Chris K »

Tropit

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2010, 12:57:13 AM »
First of all, I want to wish good kharma and wishes to you.  I learned a long time ago that I may not ever get rich owning my own business, but I'm a heck of a lot happier.  I'm sure that you'll feel the same.  (I've been self employed for 15 years at my current biz and Gawd knows how long before that doing other things.)  You'll be fine.  Just pay attention to the details and go slow and steady.  Every penny counts! Get the word out as best as you can.

Funny, we've all been sitting around our patio table talking about doing something similar.  We've been thinking of moving up north and wondering what the heck we would do for a living.  Amongst our clan, we've got a restaurant manager, an out of work butcher, a cheese hobbyist/swimwear retailer and a couple of general contractors.  (What a sorry lot we are!)  We've been pondering a cheese/butcher business with, or without, the brick n' mortar store.  We may just start by supplying other businesses with our goods.

iratherfly

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2010, 07:07:27 AM »
Amongst our clan, we've got a restaurant manager, an out of work butcher, a cheese hobbyist/swimwear retailer and a couple of general contractors.  (What a sorry lot we are!)

At the very least you can always bank on it as a concept for a great sitcom.

Tropit

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2010, 04:32:10 PM »
Oh...that we can...LOL.  Or maybe a serious drama would be more appropriate.  :-\S

Anyway, back to the cheese shop idea.  You will certainly need to find out what regulations control this type of venture.  Here, in CA, there are a million of them, especially for making your own cheese. 

Spoiliage is another thing to consider.  You'd think that cheese doesn't go bad, but it does.  I was in the cutest, li'l, cheese shop last year, during a heat wave, and I almost cried to see these huge wheels of well aged cheese sitting out at, "room temperature," sweating and dripping.  They probably had no where else to put them.

iratherfly

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2010, 06:46:37 PM »
Well... room temperature is something that needs to be controlled. If not by air condition and heating than by building with great insulation, materials, air flow etc. Most cheeses can take a bit of time but the surface ripened and semi lactic do have a short period. I know some stores freeze them (Not sure how it affects them) and some cheesemakers stabilize them to extend the shelf life (but these are just kind of low end). Crottin, Valençay and other semi lactics turn into hard grating cheese when they are past their date. In cheese shops in France they put them in a different shelf or container marked "Affine" so nothing goes to waste...

Look at my post from a couple of months ago about the cheese shops of Paris - there are good example of setup in a country that hates air conditioning... http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4019.msg30669.htm

Some vendors also have return policies regarding perishable foods which may be good to take advantage of.

There is a cheese shop in my neighborhood which specializes in buying cheese that is close to its expiration date, cheese overstocks and cheese that wasn't properly ripened (or over-ripened, too salty, not salty enough, etc) from all the other cheese stores in the area. They sell it in HUGE discounts (Seriously, you can get an entire brie wheel there for $3 or Bulgarian Feta for $2.50/Lb). This could be a great way to get rid of the perishable stuff without losing money (or losing/earning a little)

They don't have a link but take a look at their Yelp review page (funny reviews, also look at the photos and try to read the signs on the window, you will be blown away by the prices. This is a cash only store by the way)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/east-village-cheese-new-york

Chris K

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2010, 11:37:59 PM »
Thanks again for the inputs!

I'm very intrigued by the French approach to cooling the entire room... not sure I'd wanna work in it though ;)


iratherfly

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2010, 12:01:32 AM »
They do it purely by ways or insulation and air flow. No antiperspirant needed (or used)

Offline sominus

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2010, 03:47:32 PM »
I can't help it...  I have to do it...

Imagine, if you will, John Cleese...

"I'd Like to buy some cheeese!"

*ahem*
--
Michael Dow

iratherfly

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2010, 05:47:16 PM »
There ya' go Sominus!

One of their funniest skits ever, I think there are probably 50 or 100 different cheeses mentioned here in a course of 4 minutes. My favorite, the Camembert part: "I THINK IT'S RUNNIER THAN YOU LIKE IT, SIR"

The Cheese Shop sketch, Monty Python

Chris K

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Re: Career Change: Opening a Cheese Shop
« Reply #14 on: July 10, 2010, 12:41:00 AM »
I am a HUGE Python fan! 

 8)