The Derby Times

More than just coffee.

Archives for September 2019

7 Tips For Selling More Merchandise At Your Coffee Shop

by Leave a Comment

Running a coffee shop isn’t your typical retail business. Everyone involved in owning or managing their own cafe knows the struggles of inventory, marketing, staff, overhead… the list goes on. Merchandising isn’t a core part of the cafe business, but it can really add some revenue to your balance sheet if done the right way. We’ve discovered a few secrets along the way that we wanted to share with you, the aspiring or current cafe owner/manager!

Know your Customer Base

This is arguably the most important part of the entire equation. Coffee shops can sell a lot of different merchandise, but what will your specific customers want to buy? Will it be CDs near the register, Starbucks-style? Perhaps some custom mugs with your brand on them? You need to know what your customers are interested in purchasing before you can narrow down which merchandise to sell.

Define Your Identify

Every coffee shop has a bit of local flavor that ends up influencing the vibe that customers perceive. Defining this unique identify and owning it is the next step towards taking your merchandising efforts to the next level. At Derby Joe, we love music. Our customers love music. Random passerby love music. So we set up a record shop in store for guests to browse an amazing selection of vinyls while enjoying their coffee or cold brew. You have to know who you are before you can sell yourself to someone else.

Come Up With a Plan

Making money selling merchandise is not something that happens overnight. You need to have a plan and know the basics before you even start stocking product. Do your research, come up with your business plan, pick out your first products to sell, estimate your costs/revenue/profits, and only then can you really move forward successfully.

Small and Cheap Up Front

Take a hint from all the retail and big box stores and display small items like candy, mints, cookies, cds, books, etc. up front on the counter. Guests love to pick up these small items and they usually are a cheap/easy way to make a few extra bucks!

Variety is the Spice of Life

Don’t be afraid to try out different products during your merchandising journey. There are so many to test out, including bags of branded coffee, t-shirts, hoodies, decals, travel mugs, ceramic mugs, etc. You never know what might become a hit with your loyal fan base.

Watch Out For the Sales

Some companies try to make money by constantly advertising sales. But that usually just makes customers wait to buy until the price is even lower. Don’t have extended sale periods or gimmicky price schemes. Set a price that you can make revenue from and stick to it.

Keep Things Fresh

Customers get used to seeing the same thing when they come into your cafe. Vary the display/positioning of your merchandise in order to slip past their blind spots and back into their minds! If you are selling high-quality merchandise, your customers won’t mind seeing it displayed prominently.

What tips do you have for other cafe owners or managers? Share with the rest of us in the comments!

February 26, 1775: The Day the Revolutionary War Almost Started In Salem

by Leave a Comment

The Revolutionary War is one of the most important events in American history, as it led to the creation of the United States of America. The world would never be the same after those fateful events, and surely Salem would not be what it is today. But few people know just how important Salem could have been to the beginning of the Revolutionary War. It’s a tale known only as, “Leslie’s Retreat,” and maybe you’ve seen the plaque commemorating this important, yet hilarious event!

The Beginning of the End

By 1775, the revolution was well on its way. The Stamp Act was a decade old, the Boston Massacre was old news, and the Boston Tea Party was shrinking in the rearview. Things were right in the middle of heating up, and Paul Revere would make his fateful ride just a few months later in April.

Colonel David Mason of Salem initiated the purchase of 19 French cannons in 1774. He hired Robert Foster, a blacksmith, to convert the cannons and figure out how to mount them onto carriages. These prototypes took some time to make and weren’t ready for use until 1775. This was part of the colonial preparation for the clear and obvious possibility of a direct war with England.

Fears From the South

British Military Governor Thomas Gage heard about these patriots arming themselves to fight against the British up in Salem, and he was not happy. He was officially the military governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, so Gage felt responsible for putting down any uprising at first sight. When Captain John Felt first took control of an official Salem militia, tensions rose to an all-time high.

Political tensions had been rising steadily for years, and Gage had been right in the middle of it. His ruling on placing a militia in Boston is what sparked the Boston Massacre. By early 1775, he pulled all of his troops up to Boston with a clear directive to rid the colonists of weapons to be used in a revolutionary manner.

The Powder Alarm

One of the most significant acts during this period is now known as the “Powder Alarm.” Gage had ordered a group of soldiers to overtake a gunpowder magazine in a nearby colonial settlement, and they managed to pull it off. But not without raising the alarm of thousands of minutemen who had been waiting for the right moment to mobilize.

This had a subduing effect on Gage’s efforts, but not enough. Soon Gage decided to take action again, and sent Lieut. Col. Alexander Leslie up to Marblehead and told them to take over the new mobile cannonry by any means necessary.

The March From Marblehead

Leslie wasn’t known as a strong military commander. According to historicipswitch.com, he was known by his officers as, “a genteel little man who lives well and drinks good claret.” They tried to sneak into the harbor during a church service, but a guard raised the alarm as soon as the ships appeared.

The troops started marching along Bay road towards Salem. Along the way, they were faced with several issues. Resistance fighters had pulled the planks out of some bridges, making them difficult to pass. The troops managed to quickly repair the bridges and continued on with a confident bravado of a conquering army.

The Arrival into Salem

Leslie and his men finally arrived in Salem town square, where they came upon several Tory sympathizers. These colonials gave up the location of the cannons without a moment’s notice. David Mason, the man who constructed the cannons, was the one to run from his house to the North Church shouting about the incoming British soldiers.

Mason then rode home as quickly as he could to secure and hide the cannons. He ran back to the North Bridge to join the rest of the resistance fighters setting up to counter the British invasion. Captain Timothy Pickering commanded the militia, and ordered the men to raise the drawbridge to prevent the British from passing. When Leslie sent demands for the bridge to be put down, the Salem residents and the militia simply ignored him.

Leslie’s Unraveling

At this point, Col. Leslie was absolutely furious. He claimed that he had to follow his orders, yet it wasn’t possible with the bridge up. British soldiers were climbing up the drawbridge, but to no avail. Leslie decided to maintain his ground, all while freedom fighters were assembling to take him on by force.

The Salem militia spread the message to surrounding towns, and soon thousands of minutemen were ready to counter the British efforts. This included the Danvers cavalry, but they only made it as far as the Salem Distillery before settling down to “defend the wares” for the night.

Captain Felt made his appearance known at that point by standing right next to Captain Leslie. There was no fighting going on, but the two groups were at a standstill. Felt heard Leslie finally order his men to shoot those who stood defiantly before him. The passionate captain couldn’t stay silent any longer.

“Fire? You had better be dead than fire! You have no right to fire without further orders. If you do fire, you will all be dead men!” he responded strongly, and no shots were fired.

Leslie insisted that he had no plans on abandoning his mission saying, “I am determined to pass over this bridge before I return to Boston, if I remain here until next autumn.” He also insisted that the bridge was part of the “King’s Highway” and thus he should be allowed to cross.

 

A Resolution, Not A Revolution… Not Yet, At Least

The British and Americans did have a small fight over the few small boats that remained between the two shores. This is thought to have been the first bloodshed in this violent war. The leaders of the townspeople, including Felt and Mason, managed to convince Leslie to compromise with them. He promised that if they allowed him to cross and walk “fifty rods” beyond the bridge, they would go back to Boston and say they found no weapons. The colonials agreed, and the event became known as Leslie’s Retreat. The drawbridge was finally raised, allowing the British troops to cross the river. They turned around at the set distance, walked back over the bridge with haste, and made their way back to Marblehead with their tails between their legs.

Just a few months later, General Gage would send another 700 British soldiers to take control of two bridges in Concord. This event precipitated the massive conflict and fight for independence now known as the Revolutionary War. But it all could have started in Salem, if not for the compromise that these two groups made over the river that day.

The Salem Witch Trials

by Leave a Comment

The Salem Witch Trials are the most infamous event in the history of Salem. Between 1692 and 1693, over 200 men and women were accused of practicing witchcraft. 20 of those accused were executed, the majority by hanging. Soon after the executions ended, the town admitted to their mistake and apologised for the hysteria. But the residents of Salem have never forgotten the frightening, paranoid nature of these troubling events.

The Devil Comes to Salem

Many practicing Christians throughout history have feared the Devil’s influence over certain people. They believed that these people could use witchcraft – the Devil’s magic – to affect those around them in all sorts of horrifying ways. From the 1300s to the 1600s, this belief rippled through Christian populations across the globe. The craze primarily made its home in Europe, where tens of thousands of “witches” were senselessly murdered for their alleged black magic.

Reverend Samuel Parris was ordained as Salem’s first minister in 1689. He was disliked by the townspeople almost immediately due to his stringent lifestyle and selfish actions. Some even believed that he wasn’t a representative of God at all, but was instead the Devil.

In January 1692, 9-year-old Elizabeth Parris and her cousin, 11-year-old Abigail Williams began to act incredibly bizarre. They would have fits, screaming and throwing whatever they could grab across the room. Even more disturbingly, the girls would contort their bodies into frightening shapes which caused the doctor to declare them possessed.

The Witches Stand Accused

11-year-old Ann Putnam began to have similar fits next, and the townspeople began to pressure the local judges to seek out a cause. Judges Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne began to question the young girls about who caused their affliction. The three of them singled out Tituba, a slave serving the Parris’, Sarah Good, a homeless woman and an outcast, and Sarah Osborne, an old, impoverished woman with barely a cent to her name.

On March 1, 1692, the woman were examined and interrogated by the local judges. Osborne and Good claimed they were innocent, but Tituba admitted that she had been practicing witchcraft. She also claimed to know of several other witches trying to practice their craft against the local Puritan communities.

Over the next few months, hundreds of accusations were made against the alleged witches of Salem and the nearby towns. Those accused ranged from beloved, churchgoing Martha Corey to Sarah Good’s 4-year-old daughter Dorothy. She was so scared to answer their questions that she just stood silent – which was later used as an admission of guilt in court.

The First Hanging

The first case tried was that of Bridget Bishop, a gossipy older woman known for sleeping around with the local townsmen. She claimed she was “innocent as a child unborn,” but they hanged her anyways on what soon became known as “Gallows Hill.”

The Second Wave

In July, another 5 people were sentenced and hanged, and 5 more in August as well. In September they took it up a notch and hung a total of eight Salem residents. By this point, Governor William Phipps’ own wife was under investigation for being a witch. Only then did he dissolve the court responsible for the hangings, denounce “spectral evidence,” and pardoned all who were in prison due to their supposed witchcraft. Spectral evidence included testimony regarding dreams and visions of the witness or suspect.

An Admission of Guilt

Many responsible for the hangings and accusations soon begged for forgiveness and admitted to their mistakes. By 1702, the trials were officially declared unlawful, and they passed a bill to restore the names of those accused in 1711. They ended up paying around £600 in restitution to the victims families, but no amount of money could restore the lives that were lost.

In 1992, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel dedicated the Witch Trials Memorial right here in Salem. Stop by this historic landmark to pay tribute to the poor souls who lost their lives in the middle of this insane hysteria. The Salem Witch Trials are a warning about the power that mass hysteria has on populations that don’t focus on critical thinking. We as a human race should not allow people to be treated in this unfair and terrifying manner.

The Salem Witch Trials remain one of the seminal events in Salem’s history. Modern developments suggest that the fits that the children experienced could be explained by the fungus ergot. It can cause muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions and hallucinations. The moist, swampy land near Salem could easily have provided the right conditions for this dangerous fungus to grow and contaminate the local food supply.

Do you have any witchy theories about the history of Salem? Let us know in the comments!

The Incredible International Trading History Of Salem, Massachusetts

by Leave a Comment

International trade has changed a lot over the years, but one thing has remained a constant – the ocean. While air transit has made quicker deliveries possible across the world, there are still thousands and thousands of massive cargo ships carrying all sorts of goods across the ocean. These huge ships require gigantic, supersized ports in order to offload their thousands of tons of cargo. So while cargo is still often transported over the ocean, once-busy ports like Salem Harbor are now a bit more quiet.

A Leader in Trade

Salem was once on of the largest trading ports for international traders in the entire country. By the end of the 18th century, traders in Salem were doing more business than they ever could have imagined just 50 years prior. Ships from Salem traveled across the world, picking up and dropping off goods as they went.

Trade with the far East was such an essential part of Salem that it became the centerpiece of the town when it was incorporated in March of 1863. The town motto is “Divitis Indiae usque ad ultimum sinum,” which means “To the rich East Indies until the last lap.” This trade with China made many traders, merchants, and sailors in Salem richer than they ever could have imagined. Several of them went on to establish the households and areas that now make up the Salem National Maritime Historic Site[1] .

Demand Grows For international Products

Salem became known for its variety of imported offerings. These were stored on the harbor in store houses, and sold in popular shops like the West India Goods Store – which itself began as a storehouse for Captain Henry Prince. One of the most popular categories of goods bought and sold in Salem were ceramics, furniture and decorations, textiles, spices, and indigo.

Ceramics

The new United States was populated by people who were used to having nice things. Over the years in the new world, items like ceramics and china could become broken and damaged. This led to a high demand for new ceramics, like wash basins, decorative vases, porcelain, and tea sets. In an ironic twist from the modern day, ceramics from China were the most highly-sought and were far more expensive than those imported from Europe. This meant that traders could make a greater profit from going to China to source their ceramic goods.

Furniture

Chinese furniture was also highly regarded in the new world and examples and pieces influenced by Chinese furniture makers can be seen all over historic homes in New England. Wealthy townspeople of the time loved to show off their wealth with unique, foreign products. Furniture was one of the most interesting examples and the styles varied immensely from piece to piece.

Textiles

Silk was the most popular textile ever since it was first introduced in Europe hundreds of years prior. These soft, miraculous fabrics were unlike anything that the Americans had ever seen when first imported in 1789. Soon they became one of the most popular products for traders to bring back from China, despite the heavy tax on imported silk.

Spices

You can’t discuss international trade without bringing up spices. The vast majority of the world’s cinnamon at the time was sourced from Ceylon/Cochin, China (now a part of Vietnam). They were lightweight and highly desired, so ship captains often went out of their way to acquire it during their travels.

Indigo

Indigo is one of the most famous types of dye because it’s used in something that most of us wear almost every day: denim. Traders would bring back significant quantities of it to use in dying all sorts of products and clothes that were popular at the time. Indigo has only become more sought after since that time, but Salem never returned to its roots as one of the primary American trading ports.

Link to Salem Maritime Historic Site blog

The Founding of Salem

by Leave a Comment

For the first installment in our History of Salem series, we are going to go all the way back to the beginning. Before the Witch Trials, before Salem became the town it is today, it was just a little settlement on the mouth of the Naumkeag River. The first settlement was named after the Naumkeag people, a Native American tribe that inhabited the surrounding area.

The Great Migration

Salem wouldn’t be the town it is today if not for the “Great Migration” of Puritans to New England from 1620 to 1640. It refers to the English settlers who primarily moved to Massachusetts, and interestingly enough, Barbados.

The initial settlement of Puritans centered in two natural harbors, in the towns that are now known as Boston and Salem. While some settlers arrived to the Cape Ann/Salem area in prior years, no permanent settlement was established until 1626, when Roger Conant led the first real effort to build a colony in the area.

Roger Conant

Roger Conant is now recognized as the founder of Salem, Massachusetts in official record. He first arrived at the Plymouth Colony around 1623, but it would be 5 years before he was able to establish his own colony in the New World. Conant was a fisherman and a strong leader, but he never fully embraced the Plymouth Colony and sought out an alternative lifestyle in the surrounding areas.

Conant had originally arrived with the Dorchester Company, who tried and failed to establish a full-fledged colony in the area that was now colonized by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Around 1625, Conant relocated his family to Cape Ann in the northern side of Massachusetts Bay. This came at a time when there was growing discontent with the leadership of the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a whole. Soon after, Conant was chosen by the residents of the new settlement to be their governor. This lasted until he was replaced by John Endecott in 1628.

The Establishment of the City of Salem

Conant stepped aside without resistance when Endecott announced that the Massachusetts Bay Charter ordered him to replace Conant as governor. Some residents disagreed with the decision, but Conant’s positive attitude allowed Endecott’s group, or the “New Planters” and Conant’s passionate “Old Planters” to get along.  This led to the naming of the town of Salem, which is a form of the word “peace” in Hebrew.

Endecott started making changes to the new colony right away. The first thing he did was order the Governor’s House to be brought to Salem from Cape Ann. Just one year later, the Massachusetts Bay Charter became the full-fledged Massachusetts Bay Colony, and they were granted an additional governor named Matthew Craddock in London. Endecott remained governor in the colony.

The colony underwent another change in leadership in 1629 when John Winthrop was elected governor to replace Endecott. Endecott remained active in Salem town affairs for the rest of his life, His role was to ready the colony for expansion when more colonists arrived, and he performed his duty admirably.

The arrival of John Winthrop led to the most significant period of the Great Migration, and he was the one who decided to focus on Boston as the best place to build the center of the colony. He officially announced the foundation of Boston on September 7, 1630 and the Massachusetts Bay Colony was well on it’s way to becoming the state we now call home.

Roger Conant died in 1679 at the ripe age of 87. He’s now seen as a central figure in the development of our beautiful town of Salem, and many of you have seen the massive statue commemorating his contributions, still watching over his beloved Salem Common.