To continue the discussion about coffeehouse culture, to me, it's all obviously a symptom of the greater North American consumer culture.
I believe that what makes a place like a coffeebar work well as a community (in the sort of way that we seem to be wanting it to) requires individuals to look to themselves and motivate themselves to move their feet, go out there, and take the little risks that are involved when engaging with others in public. Basically, people look to themselves and to each other to fill their lives.
The reality of where things seem to be going is more that people are looking to business to fill their lives.
In our religion-of-consumerism age, people have more access to money (particularly money that they don't actually own) than ever before, but only because there are more ways to spend money than ever before. The more consumeristic we become, the less satisfying things that are truly free, despite MasterCard's best efforts, seem to feel.
To quote the wise old sage, Admiral Ackbar, "It's a trap!"
Parks are empty, malls are full. Libraries are empty, Amazon.com is booming. Starbucks drive-thrus are the hot new thing here in the east coast... little independent coffee houses are struggling.
I look out into the world and see all of these signs that we're all evaluating each other with the question, "What can you do for me, the way that I want, when I want, how I want, and as comfortably as possible? Whoops... I meant, comfortably for me" But don't I then have to look at my own business, and check myself and see how we relate?
So I look at my cafe here in Arlington, VA, and at 11:00am on a hot Thursday morning, I count... 17 people in this camera-phone picture that I just took. Three are sitting alone, reading. 12 are sitting alone on laptops, most likely on the internet. There is one lone pair, highlighted in yellow, having a conversation. It's actually worse than it looks because you can only see 1/3 of our seating area here, and the rest of the rooms are populated by 8 people... each on a laptop.Am I as a business owner merely helping bait the consumerist trap? Am I just feeding the desire for people to have more and more by giving them better coffee? Am I contributing to the ever-rising bar by which people will judge others, deeming them inadequate, irrelevant, and not good enough for their palate? I want my shop to be more than just another rung on the ladder of rising prices and quality.
As I mentioned in a past podcast, our Capitol Hill (DC) shop is different. With only 1/6th of the square footage of Arlington, and with a different-enough neighborhood culture, the vibe is much more conducive to people sitting and talking, often among strangers. There, we know the regulars' names, their dogs' names, all of the tidbits of knowledge that emerge when you've got a vibrant, dynamic, 'proper' coffee shop.
But if I had to pin-point the most telling difference of all... people in Capitol Hill tend more often to look you in the eye. But more importantly, they look at each other in the eye.
I just wonder for how much longer.
I think some of the changes we see in public space are also a result of car culture. Cars have more and more become bubbles shielding you from the outside world - to the detriment of pedestrians and cyclists who have to play frogger among these one ton speeding steel wombs. For too many people these days the only outdoor public spaces are the parking lots.
ReplyDeleteYou'll often encounter some of these alien suburbanites walking the sidewalks of the city looking lost as if in that dream where they arrived at school in their pajamas.
Our barista Daniel had an interesting theory related to this the other day - that the interface of computers with their powerful small gestures (a slight twitch of the wrist or finger making profound changes to the immersive sensorium) is screwing with peoples sociability. Its a variant of that conventional wisdom that we're all becoming more ADD.
I agree with all your points, Nick. But I have to say, personally, I am a big fan of communal solitude on my days off. As someone who reads alot I there is nothing more in the world I enjoy more than sitting in a coffee house or a bar in the evening by myself with a good book and beverage. That doesn't mean if the opportunity for human interaction presents itself that I would turn it away, but most of the time when I go out by myself I am intending to dive into my book and ignore the rest of the world for a couple of hours. Rarely do I ever take my laptop out of my house, and I think if I did that would become problematic, because I could see myself getting sucked into the "online zombie" collective.
ReplyDeleteIt is weird too, because alot of bars have started to offer free wi-fi around Portland. Sometimes when I got out, in my non-communal-solitude mode, it strikes me as odd to see someone sitting by themselves in a bar full of folks getting liquored up checking their e-mail. But then again, I am odd, and I am sure people have said the same thing about me when they see me sitting by myself in the middle of drunken revelers reading Dostoevsky.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being social with friends and try to put myself out there when I can. But I do value my time to sit by myself and observe the rest of the world or escape it in public.
Kyle
Back to my dream of a coffee bar with no tables and no to-go cups.
ReplyDeleteA long (stand-up) bar, tons of ceramic cups (all 12oz or smaller), baristas interacting with customers, customers interacting with eachother.
Sure... it won't have nearly the volume or top-line sales of another venti caramel drive through.
But I would be able to sleep at night.
Personally, I don't see a major issue with people sitting to themselves reading or working on their laptops. Each person acts in a different way. That one person on his laptop totally engrossed in Fark.com might very well be a very sociable and outgoing person in the midst of his recharge time. The fact that these people choose a shop (any of our shops) is, to me, an honor. No matter what they are doing, they are adding to our "scene." I'd much rather have a place with 75% customer occupancy than empty.
ReplyDeleteBut this reminds me of an experience I had in the world of cigars. For many years, I was very lucky to have a local cigar shop with a great community of people. Each afternoon, a group of us would get together and enjoy a leisurely smoke. Lots of discussions, lots of communal time and lots of great friendships.
Several years ago, a friend opened a cigar shop. He was a great personality: outgoing, friendly and engaging. He made it a point to say hello to each and every person who came in, learn a little bit about that person and, in turn, introduce that person to each and everyone else in the shop at that time. In a short time, the community was strong and vibrant.
It's something I look for in a shop today.
Perhaps the problem isn't necessarily with our customers. Perhaps the problem is with us. Are we engaging the customer enough? Are we creating an atmosphere conducive to community? Do we take the time to introduce not only ourselves but the other customers in the house?
Or are we too stuck behind our Lineas and Cyncras, full of the attitude that we make the best damn coffee in our own cities to bother creating that community? That we expect the community to come into being merely because our shops exist.
As I write this, I think of Hines. And while it's true that I have a very close association with Hines, they were the first coffee shop that I really "experienced." So many of the other shops I visit look great, make great drinks and create a nice atmosphere. But Hines does it in spades for me. It's like home. Like Nick said: it's like that comfy couch in your best friends' house you crash on - and I absolutely abhor remnant couches in coffee shops!
When you visit Hines it's just a down home kinda place. Everyone knows each other. They know the dogs and even the dogs get a free treat. It's a casual flophouse that I can hang out in all day long.
A few random observations on Nick's original post and some of the responses:
ReplyDelete1. Most people are too shy to strike up conversations with strangers, especially without alcohol. Many who aren't should be.
2. Suburbanites aren't necessarily zombies. A lot of them are are your very hip customers, ten years in the future, looking for decent schools for their kids.
3. People look for community in many places besides coffee shops and their offices. The suburbanite in the mall parking lot may get all the community she needs in her church.
4. The parks are plenty busy here in L.A.
5. Good observation about the staff helping to create the atmosphere. A lot of them only talk to each other.
6. Laptops in L.A. usually have screenplays on them.
7. 25 customers at 11am on a weekday? Wow!
Marshall "not a suburbanite"
The only place I really see folks zoning hard online is in cafes in cities. Ritual in San Fran is like that...and the last time I was at Zoka there were like 35 people staring into their computers and I it was so quiet I felt like I was in a library.
ReplyDeleteSmall cafes in Nor Cali offer wifi--but you dont see folks only using the computer--but they are doing other things such as reading-writing or other solitary exercises.
I spent alot of years vagabonding about out of my backpack--and alot of time was spent in Cafes from Santa Cruz to Seattle. One of my favorite joints was a place in Seattle that is now closed called The Last Exit. The cool thing about this place was that there were only big round tables that sat like 8 people. So when you got your drink and sat down --you HAD to sit with other folks. I dont remember the coffee there being anything to note, but the sense of community there was strong.
It is a sad state of affairs when you look at the US. I use the term "microwave generation" where everybody expects everything now and faster is better. I strive to slowly change the attitudes of my customers. Instead of premixed-sugar-bomb-chai we use the real thing and it steeps for 5 minutes. It tastes better and the customer has 5 minutes to look around the shop, sit and read the paper or talk to patrons. We also added a jigsaw puzzle on the big table as well as setting up a checker board and having other games available. The jigsaw puzzle has become many a patrons obsession. It starts conversations, people who normally don't talk or meet start introducing themselves and collaborate on the puzzle. I try to introduce patrons to each other that have similar interests.
ReplyDeleteWe also play music low so people can actually have a conversation. I had one couple come up to me and say they got a baby sitter and came here because they never get to talk at home with all the interruptions and distractions (such as TV, Internet, etc). It makes me feel good that I can create such an atmosphere. Slowly but surely people are starting to learn to enjoy themselves and learn to interact with one another. The shop is slowly turning into a community instead of a place to run-in, spend-money, run-out.
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ReplyDelete