The next chapter of my school year is all about "experience economy". As an experiment I went looking for my own experience in Utrecht. Based on the experience model of 'van Gool en Wijngaarden' I'm going to analyse my experience.During my adventure in Utrecht I ended up in a cute little coffeeshop called Blackbird. Blackbird is located in 'de Oudegracht' and looks like a tiny coffeeshop from the outside. Although small, it immediatly caught our attention when we passed it. The sign in front of the store read "coffee, slow juice and vintage", which sounds like a perfect combination to me!


The interior of the coffeeshop is unique and has a little story attached to it: Almost everything you see is for sale! But the real eye-catchers are the bikes hanging on the wall. One of the owners, Edwin, has a passion for bikes. The idea is simpel: he fixes old bikes and they sell them at the store! Together with his wife Willemijn, who has a passion for vintage, they created this unique little place. It is clear this is a business started from emotional value, but connected to economic value. Keywords to the concept are craftsmanship, authenticity and hospitality. It's a great example of the living-room society. Before I went inside I didn’t had any expectations because I simply didn’t knew the place. It seemed like a relaxed coffeeshop, perfect for a shopping break with friends or a quiet place for reading a book. My experience started with a soft couch. There is laid-back music playing in the background: not to loud, not to quiet. I order a glass of elderflower syrup, which only costs 1 euro (!) There are people around me doing different things. There’s a girl reading a book, a guy working on his laptop and two ladies eating cake and laughing about a joke. On the back of the menucard there’s an old article from 1967 about Sparta bikes, how cool is that? I smell the fresh coffee and it makes me want to order a cup (I don’t even like coffee!). While I’m drinking my syrup there is a guy buying a bike. Sounds of bike-fixing-tools and coffee-making-tools intertwine.  The staff is very nice and enthusiastic and make me feel welcome. When we ask to the story behind Blackbird, they are happily to tell us everything.