Friday, February 27, 2009

Topless coffee shop makes big hit in Maine town


We don't have a lot of guests from Maine stay at our resort, but I would bet every year, we average around 20 couples or so as we are the ONLY nudist vacation resort that caters to couples west of the Mississippi.

The one thing that always strikes me about Maine guests is they are fiercely independent. They do NOT want government interfering in their lives (don't we all).

In a small Maine town, the local planning board approved a topless coffee shop. 150 people applied for the job. They hired 10 women and 5 men.

It sounds almost just like a nudist resort as they said they hired all shapes and size servers.

Here are the high lights of the story:

"Topless coffee shop a hit in small Maine town

Men, women without tops wait tables at Maine coffee shop

Owner says high number of applicants a reflection of tough job market

Staff hired on basis of friendliness and willingness to "treat everyone equally"

"People leave here happy and can't wait to come back," owner says"

That is the highlights of the story. And I will bet one of the reasons so many people applied is if the owner is a nice person, they thought working topless at the coffee shop would be a fun job. We have been open for 14 years and our very first two employees we hired still work for us here at the Terra Cotta Inn, Palm Springs.

Now here is the story:

"It's a tough time for businesses, but one entrepreneur may have found the recipe for success.

The coffee shop has been open less than a week. So far the customers are mostly couples and women.

On Monday, Donald Crabtree opened Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine, where the waiters and waitresses serve their customers topless.

In a town with fewer than 4,500 residents, the topless coffee shop is booming with business. Paul Crabtree, the owner's brother, describes business so far as "fantastic."

...Donald Crabtree faced initial opposition to his plan, but he won the right to go ahead in a planning board hearing last week...

"I know what people want," he said. "People like nudity, and coffee is profitable. Sure, I'd start a coffee shop, but I'd be out of work in a week."

The flood of job applications -- more than 150 -- for Grand View Topless Coffee Shop reflected the rough job market.

Crabtree hired 10 women and five men under stringent requirements, including friendliness and, what he considered most important, that the wait staff "treat everyone equally."

"We didn't hire '10s,' " he said, referring to appearance. "We hired everyone from skinny to big-boned women."

...Although the topless coffee shop has been open less than a week, Crabtree said he is already seeing regulars. Customers include a variety of individuals, but mainly couples and females.

He also sees his new business venture as a temporary fix for customers struggling through tough economic times.

"The economy is so bad," Crabtree said, "Everyone's losing their homes, their ties, everything they own. People leave here happy and can't wait to come back. It's nice to see people smile again."

For the full story click here

The one point from this article that I think is so interesting is the owner says "People leave here happy and can't wait to come back."

That is the feeling you get vacationing at nice nudist resorts like ours. People always ask us "you are a 17 room inn, why do guests from around the world come back to Terra Cotta Inn year after year?" We average just over a 75% repeat guest rate which is one of the highest in the travel industry.

The answer is our guests leave happy. There is no other place in the world like ours. There are places you can go nude, but no where do you find such a nice mix of guests from around the world year round.

Disney says they are the happiest place on earth, and that may be true if you are 5 year olds. But for adults, our resort, The Terra Cotta Inn clothing optional resort and spa is truly the happiest place.

If you have always wanted to try topless or nude sunbathing, give us a call at 800-786-6938.

Visit our site at http://sunnyfun.com

Hope to see you in sunny Palm Springs!

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