I really liked this article. The other thing that could be added to his reconceptualized bookstore is alcohol. There was a time (briefly) in the early 90's when bookstores were considered a good place for singles to meet. That was probably an overhyped media story de jure, but some sort of hybrid bar/coffeehouse/bookstore would be my ultimate fantasy nerd/intellectual hangout. I'm not sure how to address various logistical problems, however (spilling beer on books, inventory control in a porous social environment, etc...)
Another potential business synergy: Laundromats and beer
Suds and suds
Do your laundry, put it in the dryer, and mingle. For when are we at our most unglamorous yet approachable as when we are folding our underwear? I believe Portland or Seattle had one of these.
I've looked into this and there a lot of not-insurmountable hurdles (zoning, licensing, insurance, smells, food safety, and, most importantly, noise/sound proofing)
There was "Sudsy Malone's" in Cincinnati. A terrible place to do laundry! A very dirty, smelly, bar. A very grungy music venue. It was very popular. Don't know if it's still around.
What is the experience like? I'd like to not marry a dive bar with a from-the-70s laundromat. Maybe something like a velvetty wine bar with little coasters that blipped out which cycle your wash was in. When your wash was done, you'd go through the airlock into the space-age laundromat (think sushi bar with automated conveyer belts that would help you move your wet clothes to an open dryer).
Add a bunch of other automated conveniences, which replicate aspects of a Cafe, gym, bookstore, co-working office, copy center, post office, etc. But have superior design and decor, with attendants onsite to ensure the place stays clean and comfortable.
Your "airlock" might be key. Concentrate resources to keep a "core" area with optimum presentation and maximally clean and comfortable. Have these areas separated from the other "utility" areas.
Basically, you'd be pooling infrastructure expenses for various conveniences with other users.
This sort of thing has happened before. In the old days it was called a "city block." Unfortunately, such infrastructure leaves something to be desired in terms of design. The result is less than optimally clean and convenient.
I wonder if there's an opportunity for a new kind of "co-working mall" as infrastructure? Have private-enterprise services compete to provide services, all within a few minutes walk, inside an optimally designed environment? (Perhaps these could start inside Hotels and Airports?)
There was one near my school. I went there a few times, it was fairly grungy, with cheap decor, beer signs, etc... Laundry room was divided from bar (with plexiglass windows so you could monitor your clothes) and they also had like cheap nachos and other snacks. I think there were TVs with sports. It was ok, but never felt like a place I wanted to spend more time in than I had to. One serious donwnside (for poor college students like me), iirc, was that the machines were more expensive than at regular laundrymats.
No idea on the experience (never been in a bar, and college was a long time ago). Judging by outside appearances of the ones I've seen, I'd say that your dive bar + 70s laundromat isn't far off.
I like this idea a lot -- for high-density urban areas, especially those near campus, it could provide a way to do chores and socialize at the same time.
Having said that, it also just occurred to me that this idea was the subject of a song a few years back by a group that did a lot of parody songs -- "Confederate Railroad" maybe?
It seems to be more popular among the liberal arts/philosophy crowd than tech geeks, although I've admittedly only been there twice and I'm no good at socialising with random people, so who knows. Normally not my crowd, but I found out about it because it's one of the few places you can hang out where there's no smoking allowed. It's also much quieter (volume wise) than your average bar, which is great for having an actual conversation. Apparently they have regular literary events (readings, whatever); I haven't quite worked out how the book part works, it seems to be somewhere between library and bookstore. Drinks and snacks are a tad pricey though.
I haven't yet discovered a hacker/nerd themed bar/cafe, though there's the Metalab http://metalab.at/wiki/English which is a local hacker space and seems to be quite popular with people who are smarter and way more productive than me.
