BANGOR, Maine — With just days away from the new year, many people, including business owners, are setting New Year's resolutions.
Business owners like John Dobbs, who owns Paddy Murphy's in downtown Bangor, and Wayne Johnson and Aaron Parker, who co-own Chimera Coffee across the street, are both counting their wins for the year and doing a bit of their own goal planning.
Dobbs has owned Paddy Murphy's since 2007, and over the last 16 years, his pub has become a household name.
"We have folks who—they come to the area once a year, and they always say—they tell us 'Well, we’ve got to stop at Paddy’s,' and I love that, " Dobbs said. "It’s acknowledgement that we’re doing it right. Knock on wood."
Owners of the Chimera Coffee are new to the block after opening in February.
"[We're] getting the community to know that we are here and there’s still a coffee shop here. The old one was sold," Johnson said. "You know, we just kind of slid in and we’re kind of doing our own thing."
Dobbs said he had a successful earning year, and although every business has its challenges, for his business, sales wasn't one of them.
"Overall, we had higher numbers, more traffic." Dobb said. "Definitely a lot more tourists. A lot more folks from away, and they’re not just passing through Bangor. They’re coming to Bangor."
Parker said he and Johnson exceeded their revenue goals this year.
"We wanted to increase sales by 30 percent," Parker said. "We have far outpaced that."
Parker said Johnson's knack for social media has been a key part of the business' ability to exceed revenue goals, stating that the shop's visibility online has been "massive."
Dobbs said running a business cost much more these days—with the top expense being steady increasing minimum wages.
"People. Your people. Your staff," Dobbs said. "Wages have gone up, and I think correctly so they’ve gone up. And I think you’ve got a generation [of] people they feel like they’re worth more and they should be making more."
Dobbs said he loves his staff, and he believes they deserve adequate pay. He said he’s constantly working to find ways to save internally without sacrificing quality.
"How expensive can I be," he said. "Like, how much can I charge for a burger before people say 'Oh, I don’t want to go there anymore, or I’m not going to go there as often, or I’m not going to pay that amount for that amount."
Dobbs said he shuffles prices to offset the cost of wages where he can, but he said he has to stay within reason because he has a loyal client base to consider as well. He said taking good care of tools and restaurant equipment also helps cut down on expenses.
Dobbs said one thing he wants to see more of is versatility on the Bangor strip.
"That’s where the growth comes from, he said, "When you have different sorts of people and businesses and ideas and cultures. When they’re mixing and they’re bouncing off each other that friction that’s where you get that spice. That’s where you get the growth. The something new."
Like Dobbs, Johnson said he too is pushing for differentially in his business—hoping to improve the variety downtown Bangor has to offer.
"I went to school in Washington state, and there were so many coffee shops and cafes that stayed open past midnight," Johnson said. "My plan was to kind of bring a taste of that Seattle, sort of coffee culture to Bangor, where you have later hours, and it's not just about coffee. It’s about playing board games with your friends. You can kind of come down with your friends, grab a glass of wine and sit in the window and watch the sun set."
Johnson said the shop recently got its license to serve alcohol, and they have beer and wine on the menu. Parker said they also added some variation to the late night menu, and they make mostly everything from scratch.
"Coffee shops just historically have always been a place where creatives go and spend time," Johnson said.
Johnson said they have found that a lot of the shops late night customers are high school students who are hanging out or going on a first date.
"Where are you going to go in downtown Bangor when you're 17 years old on a first date, in the middle of the winter? You can't go to a bar," Johnson said with a heavy chuckle. "Come to a coffee shop. Hang out here."
Dobbs said diversity, much like the changes and adjustments Johnson and Parker have made to set their coffee shop apart from other businesses, in downtown Bangor is needed.
"As a business owner, I want to see economic growth, " Dobbs said. "But I think it needs to be economic in all kinds. You need diversity. You can’t have another Irish pub, another Irish pub, this, this, this, this, this."
Parker shared advice to other business owners who are prepping for the new year.
"Try to be very realistic with your expectations," Parker said. "I would rather over plan and over prepare. I like to save up. I like to have a cash reserve. I like to have a strong base so that even if we have a terrible winter, terrible time coming up, we can survive it."