Colonial Strategy

You might be thinking that I'm talking about colonialism - but that's super passe.

I'm talking about this bar by our house. This blog that I found has more history and pictures of it (I can't really find much online). This picture from an old blog posting of mine also has the bar in it.

I'm talking about strategy of this bar...which seems to be changing as the weeks go on. The Colonial bar has been here since 1924 (says its awning). The waiter told us that it was occupied by the Japanese (1942-1945) and that murders took place there. I have heard that story about just about every colonial building in this country, but that's not to say it's not true.

Anyways - when we went there, it was a Friday night (sorry, God), and it was pretty empty. The decor was super bizarre, and I believe that the entire reason it was so bad is because it had fluorescent lighting. That's just a bad idea in a bar. At night. The decor was a mix between old school (which matches the idea of the bar) and some modern twists (which just throw you off and don't look nice). Anyway, the only thing that was redeeming about the bar was the the cheap price of beer (and the two minute walk from our apartment).

Well, we haven't been back since we went, back in December or January, but today I walked by, and I saw that the bar has diversified its strategy. Usually it looks empty. Today it looked empty, but there were new (unprofessional) signs hanging in the windows offering coffee and cake. I suppose they're expanding horizontally into a coffee shop/pub. I also noted that they had "Free wifi!" posted all over their windows and even painted onto a support column in front of the bar. I suppose this is also an attempt to be more than a bar, since most people don't bring their laptops to the bar.

It's not that I know best, but this is sort of going against what I learned in business school. I mean, stick with it and GO people. You can't be all things to all people (unless you're Google, or maybe GE). I wonder what they'll be tomorrow? Pizza?