重庆妹子回家创业，抱团发展——在老街开咖啡店 把热爱变成事业Chongqing girl returns home to start a business and develop together - opening a coffee shop in the old street and turning her passion into a career

4月28日，九龙坡区民主村社区“长狗咖啡”，老板封莎（左）正在店内忙碌。记者 齐岚森 摄/视觉重庆

  开栏语

  一间小店，可以有多“young（青春）”？

  在民主村的老巷里，它是一杯咖啡和一个女孩“把热爱变成事业”的勇气；在龙门浩的转角处，它是一本书、一场诗会，和一座开放的城市书房；在山城步道的石阶旁，它是一缕香气、一片叶雕，和一份献给家乡的青春伴手礼……

  五四青年节前夕，我们深入重庆街头巷尾，寻访一批“青春小店”。它们不大，却装得下年轻人的梦想、创意与坚持，是青年与城市“双向奔赴”的生动注脚。

  当前，重庆正加快建设全市域青年发展型城市。越来越多的年轻人扎根城市、深入社区，用热爱点亮一间小店，也用小店温暖一座城。今日起，本报推出“小店耀青春”系列报道，去探访这些有温度、有梦想、青春飞扬的角落。

  4月末的一个午后，九龙坡区民主村一条巷子里，阳光透过树叶洒下斑驳光影。“长狗咖啡”门口，几个年轻人端着咖啡杯坐在竹椅上聊天，一只狸花猫懒洋洋趴在脚边。

  店主封莎在吧台后擦着玻璃杯，脸上带着浅浅的笑意。她30岁出头，是土生土长的九龙坡人。大学学英语，毕业后在英语培训机构做过服务顾问，也去成都的奢侈品店当过穿搭顾问。

  2023年，她作了一个大胆的决定：辞职回到重庆，和男朋友一起创业，开咖啡店。

  为什么要开咖啡店

  一是刚需二是想把热爱变成事业

  “为什么要开咖啡店？现在遍地都是咖啡店啊。”面对记者的疑问，封莎笑了：“第一，咖啡是年轻人的必需品。第二，最关键的是，我们俩都很喜欢咖啡，想把热爱变成事业。”

  选择民主村，则源于封莎儿时的记忆。

  “我家就住附近，小时候最喜欢来民主村吃火锅。那时的路还是泥巴路，一下雨就踩一脚泥。”封莎回忆说，“2023年再来的时候，这里完全变了样。城市更新改造后，既有老居民楼的记忆，又有新潮的年轻元素，就是我理想中开店的地方。”

  寻找门面的第二天，她就租下了这间58平方米的小店。

  首次创业，怕不怕？

  “说实话，我心态非常好，完全没有作‘最坏的打算’。我把学到的东西全部投入进去，用了百分之百的精力，我相信这个店一定能开得好。”封莎说。

  装修花了两个多月。她去二手市场淘来老物件，房东留下的一张旧木桌，她自己动手打磨上漆。墙上挂着她拍的照片，角落摆着朋友送的挂画。新式复古风，不贵，但有温度。

  2023年12月22日，咖啡店开门迎客。

  “刚开始人气不旺。”封莎说，但她和男朋友并不焦虑。“客人不多，我们就每天学习，研制咖啡、提升品质。一开始店里五花八门差不多有30个品种，后来逐渐找到了我们擅长的领域，现在精简到20个。”

  店名叫“长狗”——因为她养的那只小腊肠狗身体就是长长的。有客人好奇：“你们店名好怪哦。”她就笑着指指门口那只打盹的狗：“就是它。”客人乐了，气氛一下子就轻松了。

  小店背后有张“大网”

  “不是自己闷头干，背后有群同龄人一起奋斗”

  在不断摸索经营之道的同时，封莎也渐渐发现，这家小小的咖啡馆带给她的，远不止生意上的成长。真正让她觉得“开下去了”的，是那些意想不到的温暖瞬间。

  她讲了一个故事。有个看起来挺“社恐”的女生，第一次来的时候很拘谨，不敢跟她说话。封莎给她做了一杯拿铁，拉了个小花，那女生眼睛一下子就亮了。后来，这个女生成了常客，每次都坐在同一个角落，慢慢也开始和封莎聊几句。有一次，她突然掏出一个手工做的腊肠发夹送给封莎。

  “那女孩说，看到店里挂着的腊肠照片，就学着做了一个送我。”封莎说到这里，眼睛弯起来，“那一刻真的很治愈。这也是支撑我一直把咖啡馆开下去的原因——每天都有这样治愈又温暖的事发生。”

  如今，“长狗咖啡”在民主村已经小有名气。不少年轻人专程来打卡拍照，有的是冲着咖啡来的，有的是冲着狗狗来的。

  封莎的故事并非孤例。因为在她身后，有一张更大的“网”——九龙坡区“青春小店”功能型团工委。

  2024年，共青团九龙坡区委成立了首个青春小店功能型团工委，将辖区内的小店青年组织起来，搭建“抱团发展”的交流平台。比如，封莎所在的“青春小店”微信群里就有39位主理人。

  “群里特别活跃。”封莎向记者展示着微信群消息，“大家互通消息，分享经验，发布政策宣传、交流活动等信息。这个平台给了我们一个很大的交流空间。”

  “以前觉得开小店就是自己闷头干，现在感觉背后有一群同龄人在一起奋斗。”团区委有时会组织一些短视频剪辑课或政策宣讲，封莎有空就会去听听，“不是那种硬邦邦的帮忙，更像是顺手拉你一把。”

  目前，九龙坡全区青春小店数量从最初的29家增加到近50家，覆盖范围拓展至九龙意库、黄桷坪涂鸦艺术街等地。

  在“青年夜校”开门课

  “我服务了别人，别人也支持了我的小店”

  让封莎没想到的是，自己不仅是被帮助的对象，自己还能去帮助别人。

  团区委鼓励小店主理人结合特长开设“青年夜校”课程。封莎计划开一门“咖啡冲调体验课”。“不仅能让更多人了解咖啡文化，也能为店里带来新顾客。这是双赢——我服务了别人，别人也支持了我的小店。”

  封莎还有一个更大的梦想：“希望在不远的将来开第二家店，设置‘i人区’‘狗狗区’，让不同需求的人都能在我的咖啡馆找到最舒适的地方。”

  夜幕降临，民主村的巷子里亮起了灯。“长狗咖啡”门口依然坐着几位顾客，有人敲着笔记本电脑键盘，有人捧着书，有人只是发呆。封莎给他们续了杯水，继续忙碌着。

  从“单打独斗”到“抱团发展”，从“城市过客”到“温暖接力者”——像封莎这样的年轻人，用热爱、勇气和坚持，在老街巷里种下一颗颗梦想的种子，在城市的滋养下生根发芽。

On April 28th, in the Democratic Village community of Jiulongpo District, the owner of "Changgou Coffee", Feng Sha (left), was busy inside the store. Photo by Reporter Qi Lansen/Visual Chongqing

Opening language

How young can a small shop be?

In the old alley of the democratic village, it is a cup of coffee and the courage of a girl to turn her passion into a career; At the corner of Longmen Hao, there is a book, a poetry gathering, and an open city study; Beside the stone steps of the mountain city trail, there is a wisp of fragrance, a leaf carving, and a youth souvenir dedicated to my hometown

On the eve of May Fourth Youth Day, we went deep into the streets and alleys of Chongqing to search for a group of "youth shops". They are not big, but they can hold the dreams, creativity, and perseverance of young people, which is a vivid footnote to the "two-way rush" between youth and the city.

Currently, Chongqing is accelerating the construction of a city wide youth development oriented city. More and more young people are rooted in the city, going deep into the community, lighting up a small shop with love, and warming up a city with small shops. Starting today, our newspaper will launch a series of reports titled "Small Shop Shines Youth", exploring these warm, dreamy, and youthful corners.

On an afternoon at the end of April, in an alley in Democratic Village, Jiulongpo District, the sunlight shone through the leaves, casting mottled shadows. At the entrance of "Changgou Coffee", several young people sat on bamboo chairs holding coffee cups and chatting, while a calico cat lazily lay at its feet.

The shop owner Feng Sha was wiping a glass behind the bar, with a faint smile on her face. She is in her early thirties and a native of Jiulongpo. I studied English in college and worked as a service consultant at an English training institution after graduation. I also worked as a fashion consultant at a luxury store in Chengdu.

In 2023, she made a bold decision: resigned and returned to Chongqing to start a business with her boyfriend and open a coffee shop.

Why open a coffee shop

One is the necessity, and the other is the desire to turn passion into a career

Why open a coffee shop? There are coffee shops everywhere now, "Feng Sha smiled at the reporter's question." Firstly, coffee is a necessity for young people. Secondly, most importantly, we both love coffee very much and want to turn our passion into a career

The choice of Democratic Village stems from Feng Sha's childhood memories.

My family lives nearby, and when I was a child, I loved coming to Minzhu Village to eat hotpot. At that time, the road was still muddy, and whenever it rained, I would step on the mud, "Feng Sha recalled." When we come back in 2023, this place will be completely different. After the urban renewal and renovation, there will be memories of old residential buildings and trendy young elements, which is my ideal place to open a shop

On the second day of searching for a storefront, she rented this 58 square meter small shop.

Are you afraid of starting a business for the first time?

To be honest, I have a very positive mindset and didn't make any 'worst case plans'. I put everything I learned into it and put in 100% of my energy. I believe this store will definitely do well, "said Feng Sha.

The decoration took over two months. She went to the second-hand market to find old items, including an old wooden table left by the landlord, which she personally polished and painted. There are photos she took hanging on the wall, and a hanging painting from a friend in the corner. New retro style, not expensive, but with warmth.

On December 22, 2023, the coffee shop opened its doors to welcome customers.

At the beginning, her popularity was not strong, "Feng Sha said, but she and her boyfriend were not anxious. We don't have many customers, so we study every day, develop coffee, and improve quality. At first, the store had about 30 varieties, but gradually found our areas of expertise, and now we have streamlined it to 20

The shop is called 'Changgou' - because the little dachshund she keeps has a long body. A customer was curious and said, "Your store name is so strange." She smiled and pointed to the dozing dog at the door, "That's it." The customer was amused and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

There is a 'big net' behind the small shop

It's not about doing it alone, there's a group of peers fighting together behind the scenes

While constantly exploring business strategies, Feng Sha gradually realized that this small caf é had brought her much more than just business growth. What really made her feel like she was' driving on 'were those unexpected warm moments.

She told a story. There is a girl who looks quite socially anxious. When she first came, she was very reserved and didn't dare to talk to her. Feng Sha made her a latte and pulled a little flower, and the girl's eyes lit up instantly. Later, this woman became a regular customer and sat in the same corner every time, slowly starting to chat with Feng Sha. Once, she suddenly took out a handmade sausage hair clip and gave it to Feng Sha.

That girl said she learned to make a gift for me when she saw the pictures of sausages hanging in the store, "Feng Sha said, her eyes curved." That moment was really healing. That's also the reason why I kept the coffee shop open - such healing and warm things happen every day

Nowadays, 'Changgou Coffee' has gained some popularity in Minzhu Village. Many young people come specifically to check in and take photos, some for coffee and some for dogs.

Fengsha's story is not an isolated case. Because behind her, there is a larger 'net' - the functional youth group working committee of the 'Youth Shop' in Jiulongpo District.

In 2024, the Jiulongpo District Committee of the Communist Youth League established the first Youth Small Shop Functional Youth League Working Committee, organizing young people from small shops within its jurisdiction and building a communication platform for "group development". For example, there are 39 managers in the "Youth Store" WeChat group where Feng Sha is located.

The group is particularly active, "Feng Sha showed the reporter with WeChat group messages." Everyone exchanges messages, shares experiences, releases policy propaganda, exchanges activities and other information. This platform has given us a great space for communication

I used to think that opening a small shop was just doing it on my own, but now I feel like there is a group of peers working together behind it. "The Youth League District Committee sometimes organizes short video editing classes or policy lectures, and Feng Sha would go listen to them when she had free time." It's not the kind of tough help, it's more like giving you a hand

At present, the number of youth small shops in Jiulongpo district has increased from 29 to nearly 50, and the coverage has expanded to places such as Jiulong Yiku and Huangjueping Graffiti Art Street.

Open classes at the 'Youth Night School'

I have served others, and they have also supported my small shop

What Feng Sha didn't expect was that she was not only the object of help, but also able to help others.

The Youth League District Committee encourages small shop owners to combine their strengths to offer "Youth Night School" courses. Fengsha plans to open a "Coffee Brewing Experience Course". Not only can it help more people understand coffee culture, but it can also bring new customers to the store. This is a win-win situation - I have served others, and others have also supported my small shop

Feng Sha has a bigger dream: "I hope to open a second store in the near future, set up 'i-person area' and 'dog area', so that people with different needs can find the most comfortable place in my coffee shop. ”

As night fell, lights lit up in the alleys of Democracy Village. There are still several customers sitting at the entrance of 'Changgou Coffee', some typing on their laptop keyboards, some holding books, and some just daydreaming. Feng Sha refilled their glasses of water and continued to be busy.

From "going it alone" to "developing together", from "city passersby" to "warm-hearted relays" - young people like Feng Sha, with love, courage, and perseverance, plant the seeds of their dreams in the old streets and alleys, taking root and sprouting under the nourishment of the city.