I spend a lot of money at coffee shops- probably too much money, and you know what? So do all my friends- even the ones who don’t like coffee.
What is it about a coffee shop to a 20-something-year-old that makes it so special? Why do we ‘coffee?’
I’m one of those people that basically pays rent to a local coffee shop that I go to. I’m here all the time, and each time I go, it’s a $2 - $5 out of my pocket, depending on what I order. Some would say that’s a poor use of my money and time, and that’s why I’m writing this post- to process why a person, like myself, would pay money to have an experience they could essentially have for free.
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in a crowded room full of strangers in an old bucket chair from the 1970’s while Creedance Clearwater Revival’s ‘Fortunate Son’ plays over the house speakers. I’ve just finished my second cup of drip coffee, and I’ve got the caffeine shakes. Somehow, this whole experience is lightyears ahead of the experience I would be having at my own house where I could practically be doing the exact same thing for free. So, I pay to have this experience here. At a coffee shop. Where I can’t take my shoes off, where I can’t ‘make myself at home’ and where I may or may not have the best wifi or seating option.
It’s not just me that’s paying for this experience either- it’s families. Right now, there’s a mom, dad, son and daughter all sharing one couch together, drinking the beverage of their choice and pointing out the art on the walls and talking about it. It’s an experience for them. They could probably spend time together at home and do the same thing for free, but instead they chose to spend $15 - $20 to come here instead. Why?
Here are some questions on my mind:
- Why do we spend hours at these places every single week?
- Why are we spending money on an experience that we don’t need to spend money on?
- Is it the music? The lighting? The seating? The decorations? The coffee itself?
- What makes these places so different than making a cup of a coffee at home and doing work there?
Whenever I go into a coffee shop and sit down to work, my mind goes into another world. My creativity increases, I’m way more aware of my surroundings, and I can reflect on things more clearly than a mirror that just got a fresh Windex treatment. Surely, it can’t just be because of the caffeine? I can’t do this in other places; I’ve tried. Whether it’s at work in the office, at home on the couch or outside in nature, nothing seems to be able to get my mind to the level it’s at in these shops that simply serve a hot, black beverage that tastes terrible to some and like manna to others. I’ve had people tell me that doesn’t make sense- that coffee shops aren’t really that special, and maybe they aren’t to everyone. But to me and others, they are.
These are truths:
Coffee shops are places of community. People come to them to meet with other people and commune.
Coffee shops are places of art. Every single one has a unique vibe, unique art and a unique clientele.
Coffee shops serve an ancient beverage. Coffee has been around for ages, and it’s always been a drink that people can receive and experience together.
Coffee shops are successful. There’s a reason cities can support multiple coffee businesses.
So, why do we coffee? Lots of reasons I’m sure- Lots of reasons that I don’t know and that I’m not mentioning. But if I were to try to answer that question with an answer that isn’t one of ‘the third place’ nature, it would be this:
We coffee because we want to experience the kind of rare and unique community that has been experienced for thousands of years in a place that inspires us and surrounds us with other people facing the same kind of life that we ourselves are experiencing.
One day, I want to own one of these places that people spend a third of their week in. One day, I want to create a space that lets people come in as they are and experience a sense of community, all the while getting to know each and every person that comes in. I want it to be unique- tree house seating options available outside the building. I want it to be a place where social barriers crumble- diversity is a must. I want it to bring life- a place that sparks creativity and a place that someone actually wants to be themselves.
Hopefully that dream can come true someday, and hopefully that dream comes true in a place that has yet to experience coffee because then they’ll know why we coffee.
-Cliff
Cliff’s Note: We don’t coffee for the coffee; we coffee for the coffee.