A Multipurpose Coffee House in North Dakota.

Stores and businesses in small towns in the Northern Plains typically tend to be smaller, have limited stock, and may be multifunctional. The idea is to have as many reasons for a person to offer patronage as possible.

Marge always wanted to have a sophisticated coffee shop in which the locals could have a cup of coffee, discuss books, the arts, or politics -- maybe even having poetry recitals from time to time. However, Wolf's Breath, ND was not San Francisco, despite relative tolerance for gays and exotic foods.

To be candid, Marge's Coffee House was in the red.

However, Marge did some marketing research, and came up with some ideas for making her business more viable by being multipurpose. Adding a tanning parlor was already taken, as was a bait shop (not good in the winter, anyway.) However, several persons expressed a longing for visiting the sites in Minneapolis.

Now Marge got focus. No, not to add a fancy mini-mall or theatre, but something more fundamental to the North Dakota psyche: a strip joint.

Now, between 5 P.M. and 9 P.M. her neighbors could repair to Marge's and drink premium coffee and watch Wanda the Tassel Dancer or Gewn on the dance pole or Miranda from South Dakota to frump around the stage wearing (mercifully) some clothes. After all, Marge's was considered the minor league whan it came to burlesque!

And after 9 P.M.? Well, her customers would have to go home to watch the 10 P.M. News and be in bed by 10:30. Or maybe later, if the wife was willing.