If you’re interested in starting a business that would tick both boxes for being cool, and having a loyal following off the bat, may we suggest one that targets the hipster crowd. All you need is a trendy idea, product, or service that looks good – at least on Instagram.
Hipster businesses come in many forms. Here are some places hipsters are guaranteed to patronise:
Second Hand Shop
Your parents may frown at the idea of getting something second-hand, but hipsters these days love the old stuff. The rarer the better, and who cares if they’re not usable? Anything can be scoured from dumpsters flea markets and resold at a higher price. Not sure what to sell? Try old clothes, books, and even vintage vinyl – no one will complain that it’s broken/used/dirty.
Dessert Shop
If it can be labelled ‘artisanal’, then you’re good. Cupcakes, donuts, you name it; as long as they look Instagrammable. Forget ‘homemade’ brownies that look like a dog’s turd – these days, ‘homemade’ means something that looks like it came from a Cordon Bleu chef’s kitchen. Can’t bake? You can always make milkshakes loaded with so much sugary colourful toppings that even ants are scared to go near them.
Paper & General Goods Store
In this digital age, it comes as no surprise that the youth these days don’t know the feel of paper so they’ll swarm to products like actual greeting cards, notebooks, or wrapping paper. Preferably with some vintage illustration or clever quote. To grab more attention, you might add some quirky stationery or even something totally useless to put on a desk, like a toy tin VW bus. No one will blink an eye at the prices, because they’re only going to use these products for show.
Vintage Sign Business
If you’re not looking to set up shop, then perhaps you can help other hipsters set up their shop by providing artwork for them in the form of vintage-looking business signboards. After all, one can’t be hipster if there isn’t a vintage element. Just ensure that you are decent enough with pen and ink.
Men’s Grooming
While most guys are very comfortable with $12 haircuts, there are many hipsters who tend to prefer a more experiential (read: expensive) treatment. You’ll notice ‘gentlemen barbers’ popping up everywhere, making men look like either lumberjacks or metrosexuals. If you’re versed with the art of pompadour-waxing or beard shaping, then stock some mustache wax and open up a gentlemen’s barber of your own. As an add-on service, you can even have a tattoo parlour at the back – getting inked with inspirational quotes is the new hip thing these days.
Cafe
What’s more instantaneously hipster than a cafe? All you need is a coffee machine, and the rest can be cobbled together from someone’s leftover furniture. Mismatched chairs? Wooden crates? Tick. Just make sure you know how to make coffee look good – yes, we’re talking about swirly latte art – and include a ridiculous number of ways to brew coffee (ie. French press, cold brew, etc). Besides, there can never be enough cafes in a hood, right?
