MASON CITY -The Mason City Library Board accepted a proposal Tuesday from North Iowa Vocational Center to operate the coffee and food stand in the Commons Area of the library, according to Library Director Mary Markwalter.
“A Request for Proposal was submitted by NIVC. Their (NIVC’s) proposal was approved by the Library Board at the meeting yesterday afternoon,” Markwalter stated Wednesday. “NIVC will operate the coffee shop and hopefully will open April 1, 2013 if possible.”
NIVC would be the third operator of the coffee stand since the remodeled Library opened in the fall of 2010.
Cabin Coffee was the last operator, leaving at the end of last year.
No specifics on menu items were yet available.
I know…Let’s give away coffee, sandwiches and muffins and the taxpayer will pay for it. Oh, same thing.
The business left the library because they were not making money!!! Cookies, muffins and beverages is one thing to serve but they wanted them to make sandwiches and salads. The business threw a lot of food away because they didn’t sell it. Can’t make money when the food is in the garbage.
Vending machines including coffee, soda, sandwiches and muffins would have been the way to go and a private vending company would have made some money and paid taxes. The Library project was also way over priced for what we got.
The coffee shop was another losing idea from the great minds of our city.
Just wondering, since this is a public place, if someone wants to bring their own food and drink and consume it in there, that would be all right, wouldn’t it? I mean, you don’t have to buy your food from the coffee/food stand. You could go to Hardee’s, for example, bring it to the commons, and consume it there. Correct?
I think this is a great idea. NIVC provides services to individuals with certain needs. And this is a great way for those individuals to work. And it’s a win win for the library also. I go to the library a couple times a week and have missed the coffee shop. I think this will be a great partnership!
There apparently isn’t any profit in running the coffee shop in the library. I wonder just how many proposals there were. I have a feeling they asked NIVC to come up with something to try to make something work there.
A coffee shop ISN’T profitable in the library? I might believe that if there were not coffee shops in other libraries AND two businesses had not thought this was a good idea in the same location in the last two years. I wonder what your analysis will be when a nonprofit leaves that space next.
Huh? Your post makes no sense. If NIVC leaves in a year, it will prove my point that there is no profit in running a coffee shop in the library. Why would 2 other businesses leave that spot if they had been making money? I really have no idea if that is the case. I’m only guessing. But if I had a place that was making money, I wouldn’t let it go.
A business that is in direct competition with other local privately owned coffee shops is going to be funded by county, state, and federal funds (our taxes)?
But, the board wants coffee close and free. Free to them anyway. They ain’t walkin’ to Starbucks. That’s your job.
The board isn’t always at the library. You so afraid sombody might get something free?well shame shame on them…..