The Future of Coffee Shops

I'm addicted to coffee.  I have been for many, many years.  And I love coffee shops.  I even worked in one for awhile.  But anymore it seems harder and harder to find one.  They're all closing down!  Is it the economy?  Most likely . . .

When I first moved here, Kayla just raved about this little cafe in town that had great coffee.  But, it was CLOSED!  Kayla wasn't aware that it was closed and was rather upset--as was I--but the gods saw fit to bless us with a quaint little coffee shop down the street. 

Roots was a pseudo-artsy cafe that specialized in coffee and bagels.  It was cute.  It had an out-of-tuned piano, chairs and a sofa bought from some thrift-shop, the walls were painted various colors and were stenciled in Etsy-fashion, and there were paintings everywhere for sale.  Ugly paintings that were way too expensive.  Nevertheless, it was cute.  It was owned and operated by some college girls, which I think ultimately was the cafes downfall.  Sure, it had a lot of potential, but with regular brand-name bagels overpriced by one dollar and lattes that tasted like camel feces, I wasn't too upset when that place hung up a giant CLOSED! sign. 

Roots packed their stuff up and sold the lot over to a new place called Manna Cupcake Cafe.  A shop for cupcakes and coffee.  It's been there for quite awhile . . . in fact . . . it's done nothing for quite awhile.  A sign on the door informed possible patrons that the cafe would be open for business sometime in late May.  It's now August and they still have sheets hanging over the windows . . . but at least they have a purple and white Manna Cupcake sign in front!

So, that left only one last place . . . a place that had switched titles over the years but has always remained a coffee shop.  The one, the only, Fullcup Cafe.  Coffee, Christ, and more!  A coffee shop that not only caters to the hopelessly caffeinatede addicts, but to the hopeful and spiritual as well.  Selling everything from coffee to muffins to paintings to crucifixes to Lebanon school-spirit gift baskets.  It wasn't a bad place.  In fact, they made really good white-leprechaun-on-the-beaches . . . my favorite flavored latte! . . . and their muffins were pretty good as well.  And so there I was, headed to Fullcup Cafe this morning for some drinks and muffins when suddenly dread and fear swept over me as I pulled into the parking lot.  It was 9:30am and no one was there.  And of course, there it was . . . CLOSED!

"NNNOOOOOO!!!!!" I screamed.

I jumped out of the car and ran to the door, praying that it was just a temporary thing, something akin to: the staff caught the black plague over the weekend, sorry for the inconvenience.  Instead, what I saw was a little letter taped on the inside of the window.

Dear customer,

We regret to inform you that after much prayer and consideration, Fullcup Cafe will be closing its doors and blah-blah-blah.

I stood there, hopeless.  My mornings, crushed.  I looked to the heavens and cried "Thanks a latte!" (insert flam on snare drum and a hit on a 14" fast crash Zildjian)

In the end, I ended up at the Starbucks in Kroger.  I bought bakery-fresh donuts which were made yesterday and a carmel latte from Starbucks . . . in Kroger . . .