Coffee Shop Journal

I KNEW IT!!!!!

Not to overwork a subject, but I’ve been sitting here at home in South Florida thinking about Blue Joe Coffee in Lake Oswego, Oregon. And apparently I’m not the only one: the Blue Joe post on Coffee Shop Journal has been the most popular post I’ve written, by quite a bit. I find this intriguing, as I have written about a lot of different coffee houses. None of them come so high in the search engines. So what’s the deal? I have three theories.

1. Portland, Oregon is a city addicted to its high-quality coffee. They are just close enough to Seattle to have contributed to that alternative coffee-house vibe.
2. The weather in Oregon is often rainy (I know that’s an understatement!), and coffee houses seem cozy and warm. We noticed so many families and groups getting together in the Oregon Starbucks’ and at Blue Joe’s in particular. Blue Joe’s understood this trend and had lots of amazing seating available.
3. Blue Joe has roasted its coffees for several years, so they have a devoted following. In addition, they planned carefully for this retail location. It is located in a quaint part of town, but there is plenty of convenient parking. They have presented a viable concept that feels familiar and totally different at the same time.

In doing a little coffee-oriented research, I discovered that you can order Blue Joe’s estate coffees online. So for all of  you who find this post and are frustrated that you can’t sit in the cozy shop that John and A.J. have built…click away and throw a tasting party at home!  

“Oftentimes, if you decide to embrace the tension and move forward, this is your first battle. To move forward, we can’t keep everything we always had. We have to pick what to take, what is absolutely necessary, and leave behind some things that have been important to us. What used to provide comfort may now only take up space or be a hindrance to getting where we need to go.”

These words, from The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay have stayed with me during the days since I read them. One the literal level the author was discussing a recent move to Colorado from Oregon, in which he discovered there just wasn’t room enough in the moving truck for all his possessions. On that level alone this quote has convicted me. David and I have noticed that we are often happier in a hotel room or in our Lexington condo, which has just the few things we need to live comfortably in the space while we are up there. When we return home, our house feels weighed down with the baggage of the years. As we pass through the milestones of our lives, friends and family along the way give us things, things that they believe are important or apply so well to a particular phase of life. For instance, nearly all of us have wedding china but we rarely use it. I have tablecloths that fit my first dining room table, but not the larger one that I like to use now. And don’t get me started on the books that were significant to me, but which I no longer read. We accumulate these things because they were important - they truly were. But now I am faced with the tension of realizing that if I want to move forward in our life — if I want to feel at home in my own home — I need to let go of things that used to be important.

This also applies on a metaphorical level. In ministry — friendships and the intangible activities that make up our lives — we need to edit our choices as well. We need to be able to let go of things we have “always done” in order to make room for the things God is calling us to do right now. The life God is calling me to — in this time and place — takes time. I will not be able to spend that time if I don’t make different choices than I have in the past.

So I guess my question to us all is this: are the choices we are making day in and day out consistent with the calling God has placed on our lives at this season in our journey?

One final quote from The Tangible Kingdom (for today, anyway!) really reminded me of my priorities.

“When I walk into Starbucks, I don’t think about coffee. That’s predetermined . . . tall black Americano. I ponder the lives of everyone I see. I wonder about their spiritual journeys, their highs and lows . . . and where they look for direction in their search. My initial assumption is that in any room full of people, very few know Christ. I ask myself how I could get into their lives or how a conversation might begin. I don’t see them as projects — that wouldn’t go very far. I see them as sould the Lord loves who simply haven’t seen or heard an accurate message about the Kingdom. I always feel confident that I may one day be talking with them about life and God. Oddly enough, this seems to happen all the time.”

Today is a particularly busy day in the office (Barnes & Noble, in other words), and I thought it would be entertaining to watch the cast of characters that wanders through.

The Man Who Crushed My World: A young professional spending 20 minutes between appointments sat down near me with a book called “Eat This Not That.” After listening to him read a few entries to his girlfriend, we started a discussion that breaks my heart. It’s one of those diet books that steers you toward the lesser of two evils. The “greater” of two evils in several entries ruined some of my favorite experiences in life: no more layered cheese fries with ranch dressing for dipping at Outback Steakhouse. Not for 1,500 calories!!!!

Barnes & Noble unaccountably only provided one outlet in the corner. The local insiders all vie for the table next to that outlet. If you miss it, you can stretch from one comfy chair, but not so well. Currently two couples are huddled around a laptop browsing real estate listings for the area. One of the gentlemen keeps picking up his cellphone every few minutes to call their agent to schedule showings. Northerners with sand in their shoes. Sharing their outlet and sitting uncomfortably close to the action is a nursing student trying to study on her laptop. Poor thing: she’s probably longing to go see the condo one block from the beach with two pools.

We are full of moms and kids today, as well. With school out this is a one-stop destination for lots of folk. Snack, coffee, books and entertainment in one location. I kind of like the new life and noise the kids bring, but I’m sure not everyone does!

Magazine stackers are everywhere, too. These are the people, usually women, who stack up every copy of every magazine they have an interest in and sit down to browse them all for free. I have a strong opinion on this, as you may be able to tell, but the B&N folk seem to take it in stride.

One of our pastor’s wives is across the room doing a personality/gifting assessment with another woman. I’m trying not to listen, but it’s kind of interesting!

Mr. Man Who Crushed My World left and offered me the book to browse through. No thanks, too sad already. His seat was taken by a man who knows everyone in the place. Apparently he is also doing some sort of research that looks architectural design in nature. The student nurse gave up, but the househunting is going so well. We’ve also been joined by the duffers…a cadre of older guys who show up here frequently to read magazines (again!) and shoot the breeze about their golf scores. Today they have a younger duffer with them. Beware, young man, you are looking at your future. There is also a really hip-looking dad here with his maybe 3 month old daughter. Gotta love parents who break their kids into the book addiction early!

My idyllic time of blogging and surfing has come to an end with a pair of loud-talkers. Yes, you know who they are. Every nuance of their conversation is being broadcast throughout the cafe. As I am packing up, I notice that another regular - a graphic designer who wants to be a photographer - has claimed the outlet when the househunters went off to hunt. He smiles at me as I leave him to the loud talkers. Just another day in the office.

No matter how often or far I wander, home is the soothing comfort of places where I know and am known. I made the rounds of all my haunts today, just happy to be here. Jeremy, definitely one of the best Starbucks baristas ever, was happy to see us walk in today. Not only that, he upheld Starbucks’ front-runner status by treating us to our iced doubleshots with energy.  All you in Lexington, take note! Jeremy’s leadership skills are legendary around town by now, but in making up for the lack of customer service in Lexington, Massachusetts he demonstrated an amazing ability to put the mission of the company ahead of an individual mission. In the end, that translates into customer loyalty. Not to mention friendship!

During that same trip we ran into Shiloh, a friend of my daughter’s who is also another great Starbucks barista. Shiloh wasn’t working; in fact he was in another store than his own. He was there for the coffee and the community. That says a lot to me. We had a great discussion about the amazing wideness of the church, and God’s ability to use people in places in the ways He chooses. God baffles us in His ability to connect us all.

And to think all I was expecting was coffee.

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For the first time during our stay here the sun has popped out and it is a beautiful, early June day in Lexington, Mass. I celebrated by walking to the center for a cup of coffee all by myself. Robbie Seay Band playing on the iPod, a new book in my bag and no one caring where I wandered. That is my idea of a good day.

I headed immediately to Starbucks, thinking that I would get my Iced Doubleshot Espresso with Energy, a good breakfast drink if there ever was one. Starbucks was suspiciously quiet. No espresso today, the machine is broken. Sorry. This was delivered in a casual, I don’t care if it bugs you kind of way. Very irritating to a woman needing an energy fix. No offers of a coupon for a free drink (which I believe is Starbucks’ policy when they are unable to offer a standard item). No sympathy. Most importantly, no energy.

Two doors down in this wonderful coffee-loving little town is Peet’s Coffee. Alfred Peet, the founder of Peet’s who died last year, is credited with starting the “coffee revolution” in the United States. He worked with the founders of Starbucks, and taught them how to roast coffee. When Starbucks began to grow, he chose to part ways as he wanted to keep his chain small and local. Obviously since that time the company has spread across the United States. Nevertheless, it is interesting to find a Starbucks and Peet’s in such proximity.

I enjoy the roast of beans at Peet’s, even more than my normal predisposition for Starbucks. They have a great Kenyan roast that we’ve really enjoyed on our trips here. In addition, they will sell it in 1/2 pound bags, which helps short-timers like us. My double espresso was good, nicely delivered with a good crema. It was a little fruity on the finish, but I’m getting picky. I also ordered their Jasmine Tea Lime Cooler, a delicious iced drink that actually tastes like the Jasmine flower smells, if you can imagine that.

I sat in the shop for about an hour, and enjoyed the ambiance. I noticed a couple of cultural oddities in the usual coffee shop crowd. For instance, not one soul in the whole time I was there was working. Not a single computer in sight. I would have felt odd even pulling out my computer. Now that is weird. Most of the people were in pairs jabbering away as if the whole world is on vacation. This coffee shop is located in an area where I would have expected a few rogue real estate agents (every other storefront in town is an agency), bankers or other workers. To test my theory I walked through Starbucks, too. No computers, no workers, not even any readers. Decidedly odd. Also, both stores had a complete lack of comfy chairs. Peet’s didn’t even try, though they had two great bars to sit at overlooking the main street, Massachusetts Avenue. This is, by the way, that same street Paul Revere rode down and which I mentioned in an earlier post. Finally, the baristas made no attempt to engage in conversation, although they were friendly when I was ordering. They looked at me periodically as I sat reading my book, as if to wonder when I was moving on. I did not feel rushed to leave, I just felt like an oddity.

All in all, a great day in Lexington.

I am so excited to share with you this little treasure of a coffee shop located in Meredith, New Hampshire. It is arguably the best coffee shop in the Lakes Region, and it embodies so many of the ideas we have talked about on Coffee Shop Journal.

To begin with, Village Perk is located in an original 1850’s building, which immediately gives it that character and authenticity that we’ve all been searching for. When I see a building like that - which also houses a spa and a beading shop - I wonder when South Florida will EVER develop character. Village Perk has the half of the ground floor, with a couple of twists and turns to make the room cozy. In years past they have also used space on the top floor for musical events and community events.

The coffee at Village Perk is amazing. Their espresso has the right body and the right finish - none of the fruity overtones that often bother me with espresso. In addition, they also have a great line of deli offerings and baked goods. In my mind the deli portion seems unnecessary, but the baked goods are worth sampling. David and I nibbled on a homemade whoopie pie (definitely not on my diet and I’ll have to confess it in this week’s Ragamuffintop Challenge!).

I have a sentimental affection for Village Perk. They were one of the first truly good coffee shops to survive in this area of Dunkin’ Donuts enthusiasts. For years we had to brew our own anytime we were at the lake as no chains were allowed (ie: no Starbucks), and no other alternatives had sprung up. Now Village Perk sits at one end of the 30+ mile long lake, and another little coffee shop sits at the other end (I’ll save that for another trip!). One summer David and I were playing host to multiple groups of touring friends, and Village Perk was always the meeting place after the visitors would shop the quaint little town. During that summer I sat in the cozy chairs and read a book they had on the coffee table, called The Joy of Coffee by Corby Kummer. I made my way through the whole memoir that summer, and bought a copy of my own back in South Florida.

So to summarize, here is what I liked about Village Perk, and a couple of its drawbacks.

• Cozy, warm seating areas
• Great roasts of coffee, and good food offerings
• Nice location with good parking and quaint views
• Community-oriented and authentic feeling
• Barristas are friendly and competent, outgoing with people they know
• I did not see any mention of wi-fi, though I thought the guy working in the corner looked pretty content so I may have missed the option.
• It’s hours are kind of short.

All told, this is yet another coffee shop I would love to have available to me on a regular basis!

I know it is kind of pointless to post about something after the Blog King, Carlos Whittaker, posts about it. But on the off-chance that there are a few of you out there who do not read Carlos’ blog, I’m going to pass on an interesting find. Carlos tells the story of his friends Steve and Danae, and the adoption of their Ethiopian daughter. In the process of adopting their little Eva, Steve and Danae found their lives changed by the conditions they saw in Ethiopia. They started a coffee company to raise money for work in Ethiopia. 100% of the profits are invested back in the work. On the Gobena site you can see an orphanage that is being built. Anyway, watch their trip to Ethiopia, and then head over to Gobena Coffee like I did and buy some coffee. You can read more of their story on the Gobena Coffee site and on Ragamuffin Soul.

Yesterday I was struck by Ed Bahler’s post on the importance of understanding the people who come to your Third Place, whether it be inside the church or a stand-alone coffee shop. And I have to agree with one of Ed’s statements: if it was up to the church, we’d probably have still been doing a feasibility study on how to feed the 5000 while the crowd wandered off to the nearest pub. Can’t you just see the chagrined disciples slinking into the pub long after all the tables were taken with laughing, happy, full seekers? They squeeze in, here and there, and join the conversations that are almost over about the miraculous things the teacher was saying today. Now before someone writes me to tell me that there were no pubs in Jesus’ time, please give me grace. I know that. But I like pubs, and I want to think about some Monty Python-style disciples squeezing through the door. Substitute fire pits with goats roasting and the point is still the same: Christians are often late to the party.

Why? We have all the tools we need to understand people’s hearts better than anyone else on earth. We have the intrinsic motivation to care about the people “out there.” And yet, sometimes from the perspective of those “out there,” we couldn’t care less. It’s not true, of course. We care. We want to do what Jesus did. We want to feed the crowd, turn them into a party, and embrace the goodness of life with them. We want to do what the Master did. We just don’t always know how. How do we dip our bread into the oil and tell stories through the night with the crowd?

When it comes to creating intentional Third Spaces, we need to develop a theology of hospitality, a theology that embraces the recipient of our hospitality with more than respect, with something closer to welcome. If we want to have an atmosphere where seekers can feel comfortable seeking, we have to be careful not to give them our own answers too soon, and we have to be willing to listen to their first attempts at walking through a spiritual journey. Hospitality has long been relegated to domestic divas (yeah…sometimes I am one), but in truth it is a dangerous gifting, leading into deep waters of heartache, care and uncertainty. You see, the people “out there” don’t always follow our plans for them, oddly enough. And sometimes — really — their plan is even better. We have to be strong enough to create a space for the seekers, a space for laughter and comfort and sharing that may seem to have nothing at all to do with the gospel. That is the work of being an incarnational representative of Christ. When the recipient of our hospitality reclines in friendship to start yet another story and perhaps decide to indulge in dessert after all, he is feeling comfortable and safe. We have succeeded.

Creating that haven of “belonging” is what the world excels at. Buy this TV and you are “in” and your sports-viewing life will be better than ever. Come to this restaurant and you will find friends and food to tickle your senses. Wear these clothes and you won’t go home alone. We need to hear these messages, and realize that the world is out there waiting to belong. Now it’s time to welcome them home.

Ed Bahler wrote the blog post of the day for me. He said so many things I would like to say, too. Go check it out.