DEERFIELD - After a year in business, GoNOMAD Cafe has expanded within the past month to twice its original size.
The Internet cafe, which previously seated four along with several computer stations, now has seating for up to 22 patrons as well as five computer stations.
"We went from being a sideline for a travel Web site (GoNOMAD.com) to the center of the village," said owner Max Hartshorne. He started his travel Web site in 2002 in his basement and gradually expanded, moving to Sugarloaf Street two years later while also operating Computer Cleaners, a computer-repair business he sold last year.
The former basement operation did very well last year according to Hartshorne. The travel Web site that was the inspiration for the cafe features travel articles, links, and a wide range of trip planning information.
The cafe, at 4A Sugarloaf St., increased its size by renovating space that was being used as offices for the Web site business. The office site for GoNOMAD has moved to its own office space at 8C Sugarloaf Street
Hartshorne said the cafe has also expanded the menu to include more food items such as sandwiches, bagels, and pastries. Five computers available for a small rental fee and free wireless Internet is available to patrons with their own laptops.
"We started small and listened to what people thought (about the business)," Hartshorne said. "Now we have this bigger space, and there is so much more we want to do." He said that he is looking to have art and photo exhibits and events that would be enhanced by participants having computer access, such as writing classes.
One of the unusual offerings at the cafe is a "reverse charge" system where patrons pay a lump sum in advance. Then a tab is kept for each purchase until the sum is used up.
Hartshorne said he believes one thing patrons appreciate about the cafe is the staff's personal service.
"They know everyone's name," he said. "People like that."
Cafe Capitalists: Businesses Invest so Users
Can Connect for Free
Daily Hampshire Gazette August 2006
DEERFIELD - The wireless signal for the GoNOMAD cafe in South Deerfield is powerful - so strong that people in an adjacent park and in a bank building across the street can also access the Internet for free.
All of this is by design, said GoNOMAD owner Max Hartshorne, who believes such gestures will ultimately help his business.
Like Hartshorne, many business owners are finding that wireless is a service that customers demand. Although most owners prefer that customers pay for a cup of coffee or a hotel room, they are willing to offer free wireless to attract such business.
'We want them to be customers,' said Hartshorne. 'We prefer if they don't come in and use the Wi-Fi for free.'
Yet, there is a price for wireless access. Peter Simpson, owner of the Haymarket Cafe in Northampton, has offered free wireless for the past three years at his popular spot, where customers are seen logging on to the Internet at all hours of the day.
Simpson said he pays $150 per month to offer the service to his customers.
But while Wi-Fi 'makes customers happy,' he said, it has not increased his business.
'Wi-Fi is the direction people are going in,' said Simpson. 'You've got to just let it ride.'
Tina Harding, owner of Bart's Homemade Ice Cream in Amherst, agrees that she would never have customers pay for the wireless connection she offers in her store.
'It's to attract customers and make a more relaxed atmosphere,' she said.
Other coffee shops, such as the national Starbucks chain, specifically charge customers for their Internet connection, but Hartshorne and others believe that such penny-pinching is shortsighted.
They note the increasing availability of free Wi-Fi connectivity. Customers in the Amherst Starbucks can either pay for the coffee shop site or access free wireless from the Fire Department across the street, for example.
Hartshorne, who often travels for his GoNOMAD Web site, said his cafe is based on the models of Internet cafes in Europe.
While free Internet brings customers in, the cafe makes its money through sale of coffee, computer classes and the short-term rental of available computers.
Hartshorne sites the example of Google News, a free email service that is supported through advertising revenue.
'Google proves that you don't have to charge to make money,' he said.
Ultimately, said Jeff Mackler of Rubberneck.Net, a Northampton based-information network and Web site design company, Wi-Fi will be a common service that residents rely on.
'It'll be a service like water or electricity,' said Mackler. 'People will start to expect Internet in the home.'
At GoNOMAD, Hartshorne believes that his example may eventually inspire the town to put in a more comprehensive wireless system for residents.
Until that day, Hartshorne has other plans for his service. He will soon put up a sign in the park, just to let visitors know where their free connection is coming from.
