ypsi~dixit

Venus and Jupiter dance in perfect harmony, raining down promises on the heads of those who are in love or want to be. Words like "forever" and "eternity" can sound so high-school-seniors-on-summer-break, but the Leo vibration is just optimistic enough to believe the hyperbole. Rightly so. Something has to last forever, so why not love?

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You have a point to make. This is no time for subtlety. Make it, and then make it again and again -- with a lunch break in between, of course. (Just because you're forceful doesn't mean you have to be relentless!)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Allow for input from everyone, even people you don't agree with -- this takes maturity and wisdom. By expanding your scope to include the opposite viewpoint from your position, you become truly open to inspiration.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). If you can be powerful and just all at the same time, today, you'll make a difference in the world, indeed. If you can only choose one, choose justice, and you'll still make a remarkable difference.

CANCER (June 22-July 22). When you believe in someone, do it all the way. Relationships thrive when there's not an ounce of doubt in your heart or a critical word lingering on your lips. Stand proudly behind your love.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Your questions surface for a reason. Ask away. If you don't know how you'll possibly apply the answers you get, that's OK, too. Your mind is a beautiful art piece -- a perennial work in progress.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Take initiative. Most people have good intentions. Following those good intentions with action is what makes the classy people like you stand out. You're a doer.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). What your loved ones believe would be good for you has no scientific or logical merit. That doesn't mean it won't solve your problem. It doesn't mean it will, either. "Good for you" is something only you can determine.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Everyone wants to be celebrated. If you're willing to celebrate others, they'll be eager to reciprocate. Tonight, vulnerability attracts powerful love, and powerful love attracts emotional stability.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your youthful curiosity (regardless of your chronological age) is golden. You'll be promoted in one way or another because your questions show such sensitivity and intelligence.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). The stars show you in a position to reason with a notoriously difficult person. Success depends on preparation. Spend most of your time anticipating what this person might say, so you can counter effectively.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your vices and your virtues are interwoven into a fabulous tapestry. Those who love you know what they're getting into. So you can feel free to be yourself completely. You're accepted.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You let yourself be swept into the swell of love. Getting to know someone and teaching them about yourself will be a grand adventure, inspiring you to take risks you normally wouldn't consider.

I have wondered the same about Mi-Hut and have come up with some pretty wild stories. My favorite is that it's a legal business front for the mob. I'm more a fan of Bombadill's these days anyway.

I'm told that Mi-Hut is run by a relative of the building owner, and therefore has a quite small rent check to cover. (Not quite as exciting as a mob front, I admit...)

There's never a soul in Mi-Hut. The gentleman who's there in the morning is always very pleasant, I must say.

Anon: Ah ha. So that's it. Rats, I liked Katy's idea better.

Anon: On second thought, that would be "a convenient explanation," wouldn't it?

Hmm.

One does wonder about the Mi-Hut's disproportionately gigantic array of Italian soda syrups.

I guess I need to revisit what my hours are. After sending out my newsletter, I got several replies saying that if we just opened at 8:00 instead of 8:30, they would come in for coffee. The problem is always finding staff that are reliable enough to get the place open in the morning. There is nothing worse than posting earlier hours and having customers stop just to find the place isn’t open yet or that nothing is ready. I am not much of a morning person, so I need to find people to work that shift. Extending the hours in either direction seems to mean less and less sleep.

I agree, I often end up at Ugly Mug, because Luwak’s is closed. I am sorry I cannot open for Jim Karnopp, it is a conundrum, getting early morning workers.

Jim, your point is well taken. I can see how it would be difficult to find a good early-morning person. You can't please everyone, and Cafe Luwak is doing so well, with such good food and treats to delight Ypsilantians, that maybe if a few a.m. folks are turned away, it's just the way it is.

Well I don't want to turn the a.m. folk’s away. When I tried opening earlier before, our coffee business was pretty slow and was trying to open early to try to gain some more of it. Now that our coffee is more appealing, and there seems to be demand, I will definitely try to open earlier. I just need to make sure that I do it right. The last thing I want to do is hurt my reputation by not being open when people expect it.


From posts I have seen on here before, people’s opinions of the local businesses are often based on how available they are to support their customers. Obviously if there are only a couple of customers that want earlier hours, I can't do that, but if there is a real demand, it would be a poor business decision not to try to meet it. The advantage of being an independent business is that I can listen to what the customers want and adjust my business to the desires of the customers.


One of the really nice things about this blog and several of the others locally is that I can get an overall feeling of what the community wants and expects. Several of the posts on Mark Maynard’s blog lately have shown there is a strong community interest in keeping independent businesses here, and keeping the national chains out. These comments give me hope for my business, and I think it can work as long as business owners pay attention to what their customers want. When you are an independent business, you have to build your customer base one customer at a time, so every customers opinion is important to your success.

Guys,

Mi-Hut is re-opened! We have longer hours than previously, and dinner menus. Check us out @ www.hi-hut.com

See you then!

Behice @ Hakan