When was coffee introduced to China? A cafe closes in Guangzhou

StayReal Cafe at Guangzhou's Parc Central will close after its lease expires, and the brand has decided not to renew. The coffee shop was co-founded by Mayday's Ashin and artist No2Good. The StayReal apparel store in the same mall closed the night before, and the cafe will stay open until October 27, drawing long lines of fans saying goodbye.

The brand opened its first South China store in 2016, when coffee master Lin Tung-yuan was invited to show support and hundreds of fans queued overnight. If the Guangzhou store closes, the chain will have only one coffee shop left, in Shanghai, according to online comments. The sequence reflects the difficulty celebrity food and beverage brands face in moving beyond a fan base.

A long line recently formed outside StayReal Cafe at Guangzhou's Parc Central, with the store packed and orders streaming in. This was not a promotion for a new outlet, but a farewell—because the lease has expired and the brand has decided not to renew it, this trendy coffee shop co-founded by Mayday's Ashin and artist No2Good is about to withdraw from Guangzhou. The StayReal apparel store in the same mall had already closed the night before, while the cafe will remain open until October 27. From the opening of its first South China store in 2016, when world-class coffee master Lin Tung-yuan was invited to show support and hundreds of fans queued overnight, to now closing stores one after another as leases expire, StayReal Cafe's situation reflects the dilemma celebrity food and beverage brands face between fan economy and the mass market. Some netizens said that if the Guangzhou Parc Central store closes, the brand's coffee shops will have only one location left in Shanghai.

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Yesterday, a long line formed outside a coffee shop called "stayreal cafe" at Guangzhou's Parc Central, with people coming and going inside and orders constantly pouring in. Passersby, seeing the bustling scene, could not help but wonder what this coffee shop was all about—could it be a grand opening promotion for a new store?

However, the truth was not what the uninformed onlookers guessed. Those consumers who rushed to the scene to line up were there to say goodbye, to drink one last cup of coffee in this cafe that had entered its closing countdown and to leave behind some precious memories.

Thus, after the closing announcement was issued, the store was almost always full of customers and orders surged. Seeing the staff in the back kitchen sorting receipts, netizens couldn't help but joke, "Staff: a nightmare before closing."

It is understood that StayReal is a streetwear brand founded in 2007 by Mayday's Ashin and renowned Taiwanese artist No2Good, mainly selling clothing and accessories. Later, the brand also entered the food and beverage industry and created the chain coffee brand "stayreal cafe."

On May 7, 2016, stayreal cafe and the StayReal apparel store officially opened at Guangzhou's Parc Central. On the first day of business, in addition to releasing limited-edition merchandise, the cafe invited one of the brand's managers, No2Good, and world-class coffee master Lin Tung-yuan to attend, adding luster to the brand's first South China store and attracting hundreds of fans to line up overnight to buy.

According to its official Weibo, stayreal cafe has stores in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and other places, and is a place where many Mayday fans go to "pilgrimage" and check in. However, due to store lease expirations, stores in some areas have gradually closed.

This time, the Guangzhou Parc Central store is also withdrawing because the lease has expired and the brand does not plan to renew it. It is worth mentioning that the brand's streetwear store in the same Parc Central closed last night, with fans rushing to the scene to buy before its official closure, while the coffee shop will remain open until October 27. Some netizens said that if the Guangzhou Parc Central store ends operations, stayreal cafe will have only one store left in Shanghai.

Seeing their favorite streetwear brand and coffee shop close, fans naturally feel reluctant and regretful. Many left comments under the official Weibo account, hoping the brand can reopen in Guangzhou or other cities to leave fans something to remember.

However, some people were not at all surprised that these stayreal stores with expired leases would not renew their operations. Longtime users who have followed the brand for years said that stayreal's original product designs were fashionable and trendy, so they attracted not only Mayday fans, but also some young consumers who liked trendy clothing and would enter the store to buy.

But in recent years, the brand's operations have become increasingly fan-oriented, and coupled with the high prices of its designed clothing, accessories, drinks and meals, its audience has gradually narrowed. Stayreal has increasingly become a brand that only fans pay for and check in at, and its coffee shops have also become "gathering places" for loyal fans, with a sharp decline in non-fan users experiencing the stores.

In addition, on third-party platforms, stayreal cafe has received quite a few negative reviews, with meal prices, product quality and service attitude being points of dissatisfaction for some consumers. Some customers even said bluntly that if they were not Mayday fans, they probably would not visit again after going once.

In fact, fans know what celebrities are aiming for when they open stores, and most people are happy to go and support their idol's business—it can be described as "one willing to hit, one willing to take it." However, a celebrity halo is not omnipotent. Once the products and services provided by a store fail to satisfy consumers, it can ultimately only be replaced by competition in the same industry and close its doors amid fans' reluctance.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.