The rise and fall of my favorite coffee shop.
Once upon a time there was a coffee shop.
It was a pleasant cultural oasis and actually encouraged local musicians and artists. They had the ultimate local open mic that this area needed – not too trendy, but also not to old and stale. Everyone respected each other and their music. All was good. Local skate punks eagerly listened to old folkies, and the old folkies listened and enjoyed the young emo kids thrashing out chords on their acoustic guitars – even praising them! Even boring middle of the road kind of guys like me were welcomed and encouraged to continue my songwriting.
Their coffee is not (and never has been) particularly good. This might seem strange considering it is a coffee shop – but it’s true. The saving grace of the place was the atmosphere.
They were one of the first coffee shops in the area to embrace free wireless internet access and it quickly became a hub for wireless power lunches and business meetings. Often my clients would walk in and say something like, “Wow, I didn’t know there was a place like this in Cape Coral. I like the vibe!”
Thursday through Saturday always had live music and on many nights, was standing room only.
Sadly, good things do not always last.
In a few slow and subtle ways, the coffee shop began to change. Some blame it on the hurricanes from last year. Others blame it on the change of ownership. Still others say it was a combination of both.
When it first became an integral part of my daily routine, there was passion – a passion that cannot be quantified with dollar amounts. This passion (for whatever reason) seems to be gone now.
So, I blame it on passion – or lack thereof.
Today I walked up to the coffee shop, and a big pile of trash greeted me as I looked in the window. It was strewn all over the stage, where the performers play. It has been there for days. Empty Radio Shack bags, receipts, crumpled up paper, lyrics sheets strewn everywhere, cables wadded up and stuffed in the corners, crumbs of food … I could go on.
What happened? Where’d the passion go?
I just took a moment and finally accepted it. The fond memories of a rarity in this town are now just that … memories.
So I am done with B—-. I have tried for months to give my support to the local business. My passion for a good coffee shop is high – and I can’t keep giving if I am not getting some passion in return.
What would it take for them to return it to the “coffee shop of yore”?
Any ideas?
I always thought that place was dingy and dirty. It had a little extra room to move around, but nothing else worth mentioning. The seating is what killed me. They have all these couches from some guy’s living room, and the tables and chairs are all mix and match. That’s not a “vibe”, that’s just ugly.
I got an idea…
…Move back to Seattle Hippy!!!
Jeremy, I imagine by the time you visited there it was already going downhill. As for the mismatched chairs and old couches – that is a common feature in more coffee shops than many – especially SW Floridians -realize. That is why many of my clients would walk in and go “Whoa! I didn’t know there was a place like this in SW Florida!”
It was also one of the few places you could actually listen to local original music – instead of the Brown Eyed Girl and Margaritaville covers repeated ad nauseum at other establishments.
Yeah, I understand the scene that was started there. That was a good thing. I remember a certain shack of a venue downtown that had an awesome ska scene. Sure it was a bit dirty, but they didn’t serve food. The cloth couches and strange seating just made me feel dirty eating and drinking there. Maybe it’s just me. I also was wearing a shirt and tie.
Whoa. I can’t even remember the name of that record store anymore! How sad.
How sad… oh so sad… I was just talking to Jill today about coffee shops. We were visiting a local one here in Texas and said that every time i go into a coffee shop now i think of old Studio VM and you and Troy. I had a chai today. Was good.
You could write a letter, have a bunch of people sign it, and anonymously deliver it to the owner.
Awwww. How sentimental.
I’m sure there are some good coffee shops in Austin – along with great music. Once we get situated in Asheville, we’ll need to make a trip out there.
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