| COFFEE
SHOP CULTURE
em Feature
FOREWORD
I should probably write a note before you read this article. This
was written, along with a slew of other features found in archive
one, before eyemachine went live. So it's probably about a year
or so old now.
The first eyemachine design was going to include a 'Lifestyle' section
where we'd review coffee shops, bars, parks and various other nonsense
things that no-one else reviews.
So this article was to be the first feature for that section. However,
after letting Jodi (desdi) and Trevor (antikewl)
read it, and hearing how they didn't like it nor agreed with it,
it was pulled.
Lately, however, the coffee shop phenomenon has finally come into
light in the media, particularly BBC Breakfast news who held a feature
on the subject a few days ago. I thought it was the right time to
post this feature.
Some of my views have changed now as I don't see many kids in coffee
shops anymore, well not the ones here in Brighton anyway. I also
have some more to say on the subject, especially since in the last
few days the Brighton coffee shop mini-chain 'Good Bean' has been
taken over by Coffee Republic. The whole this is like some brown-beaned
game of Risk.
Anyway, with that in mind, read on. I don't expect everyone to agree
with me on this one, but hopefully it'll kick of a debate over
on the forums.
david.
IT'LL BE THERE FOR YOU
Any city goer out there cannot have escaped the fact that there
is a new scourge slowly consuming the high street and heavy commuter
areas. Like a virus it is consuming the small businesses, buying
as many high street properties as possible and then drawing in the
consumer with promises of comfort and a higher standard of relaxation.
This is the age of the coffee shop.
From where has
this phenomenon sprung? Everywhere you look there seems to be a
coffee shop. Plenty of jokes are made in the US regarding coffee
shop chain giants 'Starbucks Coffee', but they are slowly beginning
to consume the UK too. My only guess is that it's come from US sitcom
'Friends'.
| "Most
of the UK based coffee shops are nothing more than very bland
café's." |
Coffee shops have
always been around, but in this country they were widely known as
café's. Probably the first TV coffee shop was 'Daphne's' featured
in Aussie soap Neighbours, but it never really had the appeal of 'Central
Perk', and seemed like somewhere only the school kids went to get
a milkshake.
But 'Central Perk' was different, this was somewhere the adults went
to hang out, talk about life, relax, read a book and enjoy a huge
cup of coffee that would probably last all day. Therein lay some strange
appeal; with the stress of late 90s city commuting life people desired
somewhere other than their homes to unwind, and 'Central Perk' seemed
like the ideal place.
With its huge comfy sofas and armchairs, homely atmosphere and dull
lighting it all looked great, just like...someone's home. You can't
help but feel that somehow we've been conned.
COFFEE
IN FASHION
But now these places are springing up everywhere, and the ironic thing
is they look nothing like Central Perk. With the exception of Starbucks,
most of the UK based coffee shops are nothing more than very bland
café's, with uncomfortable metal chairs and tables and a hectic
atmosphere that can only add clots to your arteries.
Yet somehow people still go there, craving 'a proper cup of coffee'.
Maybe it's because I'm not a massive coffee drinker, but I've never
understood this craving people have for the stuff. I could understand
someone wanting some to warm them up on a cold winter's day, or to
try and keep them awake at night, but any other time just baffles
me, it's not refreshing and it certainly isn't the sweetest taste
in the world.
So OK, for those coffee addicts out there you can see why they need
to go to these places, but you can't help but feel its come down to
a style thing too. Just like in 1992-93 when all the trendies started
claiming to like Nirvana, coffee shops are now very stylish meeting
and conversing points of the city. They are a place for the 20-30
something's out there who prefer to relax and have a drink in a more
sophisticated place than a café or pub.
Nothing could be more evident of how stylish coffee shops are becoming
than the recent campaign for Costa. With iconic, stylised Designers
Republic-esque posters, flyers and postcards turning up everywhere.
These places are even getting websites; now I know that everyone is
getting a website these days, but for coffee? How much information
would you possibly need to know?
| "So
there you have it, Costa Coffee is the new messiah." |
This is what it comes down to. Just like the effect McDonalds used
to have whereby once in a city you'd look for the nearest branch;
coffee shops are slowly having the same effect. Wherever you go in
the UK one of the first things to look out for is the nearest Costa.
I'm sure that Costa will soon get a WAP site with just this kind of
information on hand for those who crave 'a proper cup of coffee'.
THE SECOND COMING
So where is this all going to lead? It can't have escaped any Saturday
afternoon city shoppers that teenagers are slowly beginning to creep
their way into these places. They now seem to signify adulthood; no
longer do the kids want to hang out at McDonalds with crappy burgers
and childish milkshakes, now they want coffee…black, then feel
totally reviled on the inside, but try to look like they're enjoying
the stuff on the outside.
But maybe this is a good thing; if drinking coffee in an armchair
is more a sign of adulthood than drinking cheap cider outside the
local Spar store then there may be hope for a better world after all.
So there you have it, Costa coffee is the new messiah.
I'm sure these places will begin to expand and we'll come back round
full circle to the Internet café or something. In any case
coffee shops, for the moment, are here to stay and some in all sincerity,
are very nice places to relax and talk with your friends without your
voices being drowned out by bad club music. But just remember, it's
only a warm, brown drink, it's not a way of life.
david
twomey
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