open a bookstore/coffee shop

My friend and I want to open our own bookstore cafe in the california area. We are researching via the ABA (American Bookselleers Association) and the various small business owner guides.

My whole life I have been wanting to find a job I loved with a boss who I liked and then one day it just hit me, why not create that job instead of just looking for it. So I thought about the things I love to do, reading, music, old movies, vegetarian food and coffee. So I thought I could mix all those things into one and have a coffee shop/bookstore where I played old movies, a completely veggie/vegan menu with coffee/tea and live music on the weekends. The question is where??

When I lived in California I was always comfortable when I walked into a place that was set up to allow patrons to browse as long as they wanted to. Musicans playing occasionally, the sound of dice on a backgammon board, the low murmur of conversation. I want a gathering place. This is something that has fallen on the wayside. I would like to bring it back. The community has gone to the streets. We need to bring it back to something like this. I hope to.

Great experience. My shop was a cafe-antique shop…retail is fun but also your stuck in one place if you can’t afford employees. Best if you’re not the one having to open and close.