Armory Cafe has free Wifi - but few customers - why?

[fredsteam.livejournal.com]

When I moved here from Brooklyn I was surprised at how few coffee shops had free Wifi. I like Bloc 11, but paying a monthly subscription for wifi (or $8/day) is a little off-putting. Sherman Cafe is nice, too, but you only get one hour of free wifi with purchase. Three Little Figs has free wifi during the week, but it's really small and more conducive to chatting than working. So, it took me a while to figure out that the Armory has a great little cafe in it with free wifi. I don't know why everyone doesn't flock to this place.

Surely, there are more people out there like me -- who work from home on the computer - who want a nice ambiance in which to get productive. But I go here basically every day and at most there are two other people in the place. Often, it's just me. What's the deal? Is it because there's no permanent sign out front (only a sandwich board when it's open - after noon)? Is it the lack of Stumptown beans? Or the chilly air conditioning (it's great if you bring a sweater). 

I just can't figure out why more people don't go here. Not that I want you all to crowd my outlets, but it's a neat space. I'll bring a power strip if I have to (though that's never been an issue yet). It's open 12-6 most afternoons.

Comments

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Maybe it's that the Armory isn't close to any other businesses?

I love their antique-sewing-machine tables, but I don't live in the neighborhood so I haven't actually eaten there, let alone used their wifi.

[starphire.livejournal.com]

I didn't even know there was a cafe at the Armory. Thanks for the info. :)

[ratatosk.livejournal.com]

Neither did I! My bet is that very few people know about it, despite the fact that most commenters are people who do (and who have opinions).

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

In my case, it's because the food just wasn't very good. One of my moms groups tried meeting there and we did so several times because the location was convenient and there's plenty of room for babies and strollers, but we ended up giving up on the place because nobody liked the food. :/

[thesoxgap]

I've been there once, prior to a beer festival, when someone who worked at the Armory told everyone waiting that we could wait in the AC of the cafe. Many of us wanted to buy stuff--like water--but there was one person waiting (not the one who urged us to go), she wasn't super polite, and she had no change. At all. Not impressed because I feel like they could have been prepared for a beer festival on a hot day or pretended that we couldn't go in.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I live near the Armory, and stop in to the cafe for lunch or coffee once in a while, often wondering the same thing. I believe it's a combination of the lack of signage or otherwise making the presence of the cafe known and erratic hours (often not adhering to posted hours -- perhaps that has changed under new management + shorter hours). It is a sweet little space and I'd like to see it succeed.

[uklaptopbattery.livejournal.com]

Maybe the environment is not very comfortable, or the food, the drink is not delicious.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

I want to love the Armory Cafe. It's near me, and it does, theoretically, have free wifi. But I don't go there often.

In hopes that my reply will get to people who can change something I'll explain:

1. It's dark and depressing in there. The windows are small (can't do anything about that!) and then there are heavy drapes over them to keep it cool in the summer. But I love sunlight! If the drapes were removed and sunlight streamed in, it could be nice.

2. The times I have gone there the wifi was bad enough that I gave up on it and did other work on pen and paper. It had low bandwidth and kept dropping and the person behind the counter said she had restarted it many times. There were maybe one or two other people in the cafe. If that wifi is shared with other tenants in the building, or is elsewhere in the heavy masonry building, that might be the problem. But in any case, the times I've gone, I was unable to use the wifi. I'd rather pay for reliable wifi than have free, unreliable wifi.

3. The hours don't work for a cafe. I like to meet people for coffee either in the morning before lunch or in the evening after work. The Armory Cafe doesn't open until noon over the summer. In the evenings it is either booked with concerts or closes early. I have business-coffee with friends, clients, prospective clients, etc., between 9am and 11am or between 6pm and 8pm. The Armory isn't available to me for those. When I take my lunch break I like a little sunshine. If I'm going to do a long day working, I *definitely* want daylight and reliable wifi. And I need the hours to be absolutely reliable. I can't check the website to see what their hours are going to be this week, whether or not there's an event etc., every time I try to suggest to someone "Let's meet over coffee." I just pick someplace I know will be open.

A minor additional factor for me is that all or least some of the tables wobble so much it's not safe to have a laptop and a beverage on them at the same time. Usually I can put my beverage on the seat next to me when I'm there, or grab some postcards to stick under a leg, but that's sub-optimal and gets old for me after a while. If I want to sit on crappy furniture, I can stay at my own house. ;-)

So, anyway, I really want the Armory and the Armory Cafe to do well. I just doubt the Cafe can be both a concert-venue and a neighborhood cafe successfully.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

They seem kind of expensive, they don't make their tea with boiling water and the staff seem unclear on some sanitary practices. (don't pick my pastry up with your bare hand, use a bakery tissue.)

[lucky-otter.livejournal.com]

Boiling water is too hot for tea. Even black tea which wants the absolute hottest water only wants it around 200 degrees F. Not making their tea with boiling water is a win, not a loss.

Now, not using the appropriate temperature water - as nowhere in town that I've found does, sadly - that's a minus.

[muffyjo]

I think the boiling point for tea is a long debate that many upon many have debated before. As for me, I'm with the boiling category as I want to persuade the leaves to give off as much of their essence as is physically possible and boiling them until they are goo is fine for me. I do realize others are concerned with the heat destroying various bits and pieces, oils and so on...but if the water ain't boiling, the tea ain't strong enough. For me.

So, you know, I think that's an issue of YMMV.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

"(don't pick my pastry up with your bare hand, use a bakery tissue.)"

When I see something like this happen, I always wonder what's happening that I *can't* see.