老院子寻乡愁 咖啡店享松弛！“90后”主理人让小村落长出新业态Searching for nostalgia in the old courtyard and enjoying relaxation in the coffee shop! Managers born in the 1990s have led to the emergence of new business models in small villages

(Source: Yuncheng News Network)

Old courtyard seeking nostalgia, coffee shop enjoying relaxation

New business models emerge in small villages

Reporter Fan Chuqiao, Hao Lisha, Wen Tu

After the rain, in Jieyukou Village, Chengxi Street, Yongji City, from afar, mist lingers in the mountains, and up close, it is quiet and peaceful. The "Shisan Xiaoyuan" and "Shisan Liyi" village coffee shops are hidden in this ancient village. People who come to play here enjoy the tranquility, nostalgia, and the time that can slow them down. The original intention of Lu Qiao, the leader of the post-90s generation, to start a business is also to help people who have been living in cities for a long time to put aside their busyness and regain a relaxed and comfortable state.

The name 'Shisan' represents picking up homesickness and old rural times, enjoying three meals of fireworks in comfort. From the quaint courtyard at No. 3 Ping'an West Lane, Jieyukou Village, to the newly opened caf é at the village entrance, Lu Qiao and her lover have added a new business model to the foot of Zhongtiao Mountain with their "small and beautiful" venue. The old courtyard guards the past of the village, while the coffee shop brings a trendy atmosphere.

A Small Courtyard with Versatile Activities Field

Passing by the 400 year old ancient locust tree standing at the entrance, I pushed open the quaint courtyard door and saw an authentic Jinnan residential courtyard. Surrounded by the main room and wing rooms on three sides, the small garden in front of the main courtyard is lush with greenery, creating a layered and staggered landscape. Looking up at the distant mountains, the scenery is very clear and picturesque.

The courtyard in front of us retains its original appearance, thanks to the careful restoration by Lu Qiao and his team. The renovation of the small courtyard has encountered many difficulties, including how much investment, how to design, and how to balance traditional style with modern practical needs, all of which require a lot of effort. The hidden cost is relatively high. They use local materials, streamline decoration, and use old rural objects to make soft furnishings, reducing expenses while also having local characteristics. Last year, the small courtyard also renovated its kitchen, built a sunroom, and had a team of chefs in charge of catering.

Preserving the original shape and texture of the house, repairing and waterproofing the old walls, polishing and reinforcing the wood, and organizing the courtyard scenery. The quiet old courtyard has been renovated and transformed, and will begin to radiate vitality and vigor in 2023.

Preserving the original appearance of the countryside and restoring it to its original state is Lu Qiao's ingenious protection of the "Shisan Xiaoyuan". Diversified themed activities are the carrier for revitalizing the courtyard. The small courtyard not only hosts birthday parties and team building gatherings, but also carries out cultural experience activities such as painting, intangible cultural heritage, and reading. It has hosted up to 10 tables and over 100 people at a time, and a short video has been viewed tens of thousands of times. "This is exactly the same yard as my grandmother's home in my memory." "It's so healing here." "It's very atmosphere." The customer was filled with joy, leaving many vivid and warm memories of the reunion. This is not a commercial check-in point, but rather a free and unrestrained place like one's own yard.

At night, the arranged proposal event reserved by the client came to a halt, with light strings hanging down and the courtyard seeming to be adorned with twinkling stars. A young couple, witnessed by their family and friends, captured an important moment in their lives. The "Shisan Xiaoyuan" provides a platform that links the development of diverse formats such as catering, planning, and homestays, making the ancient village at the foot of the mountain more popular, lively, and vibrant.

A wisp of coffee aroma attracts more customers

Although the small courtyard has its own charm, its operation has strong seasonality. After the cold weather, it is the off-season, and employee income cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, we are trying to create a mobile coffee cart to provide drinks and afternoon tea for tourists, "said Lu Qiao.

Along the Yellow River Beach, the Yellow River No.1 Tourist Highway, and at the entrance of the scenic area, coffee trucks serve as an extension of the courtyard, bringing the aroma of coffee to visitors. In March of this year, the post station at the entrance of Jieyukou Village was transformed into a "Thirteen Delights" village coffee shop. The coffee truck settled here, and the fragrance overflowed, refreshing the heart and soul.

The store decoration is a trendy modern style, and the design of curved windows and other crafts can attract young people more. Beverages are suitable for various groups, not only coffee, but also yogurt, snacks, etc., which can also drive the sales of local specialties from surrounding enterprises or villagers. When it comes to gatherings and holidays, the flow of people will increase, with two to three hundred people on weekends, many of whom are repeat customers.

Having been deeply involved in the local cultural and tourism industry for many years, Lu Qiao and her lover have been searching for new niche tracks and doing more "small yet beautiful" projects. Small courtyards and coffee shops are two different business formats with different operational logics, and balancing manpower and customer flow is a challenge. So, Lu Qiao more clearly distinguished the business hours, focusing on coffee and afternoon tea during the day, and promoting rural gatherings in the evening. At the same time, he insisted on using short videos to promote and attract customers, stabilizing the customer base.

An entrepreneurial dream activates a group of people

Rural areas should not only have a single farmhouse entertainment. Farmhouse cuisine should be eaten, and taking photos should also keep up. My philosophy is to integrate local culture with trends, making the rural atmosphere a relaxing harbor that caters to all ages, "said Lu Qiao.

A uniform business model lacks competitiveness, and differentiated development is the key to success. Whether it's seasonal floral decorations, scattered rural landscapes, or constantly evolving interactive activities, they all become highlights in tourists' memories with their unique texture and humanized services.

Compared to the mature scenic spots nearby, the environment of Jieyukou is more quaint and quiet. Lu Qiao's entrepreneurial blueprint is still unfolding, and other entrepreneurial projects established based on local advantages are gradually being realized through planning.

'Thirteen' is my lucky number and also the brand logo of my entrepreneurial project. Along the way, various government departments have given us great policy support, and we have also built training, exhibition, and publicity platforms to inform us of entrepreneurship subsidy policies. All of these have given me more confidence in starting a business. Being able to have a career in my hometown that places my passion and drives the development of my fellow villagers gives me a strong sense of belonging and achievement, "said Lu Qiao." Rural cultural tourism needs to be carefully managed for a long time. We will continue to refine our business models, deeply cultivate local characteristics, and turn small projects into vivid examples of rural development