A LOVE SUPREME

I am now blogging at a new blog: erdman31.com

If you post comments here at Theos Project, please know that I will respond and engage your thoughts in a timely manner.

Monday, March 26, 2007

$tarbucks


Interesting post by Doug on coffee, culture, and Starbucks:
http://theconstructivecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2007/03/quiet-passing-of-kurios-coffee.html

8 comments:

Melody said...

Like the other people who commented on Doug's blog I don't understand what the big deal is.

Starbucks produces a product people like. They provide an atmosphere people desire. They have really good marketing, though I've always thought their logo was odd. What's the problem?

Even if it does contribute to a transient society, why is such a culture inherantly wrong?

Jonathan Erdman said...

Sooooo.......you're one of those who wants to run the little mom-and-pops, local joints out of town, eh????

Anonymous said...

That was a good article. My church has a coffee shop that the locals go to...even if they don't attend the church. It's in a quirky little neighborhood that doesn't hav a Starbucks around.

Jonathan Erdman said...

That's kind of a cool thing for your church to do.....Ironically I sip Starbucks' Cafe Verona blend even as I read about the evils of $tarbuck$.....

Melody said...

What little mom & pop shops?

Courthouse Coffee is a growing business, despite the fact that their lattes usually taste like the runoff from your roof. I like their chai though, so I go there often.

Tree of Life is a franchise, the quality of their coffee being alarmingly dependant on who is working.

The Blue Lion/Cafe Violagio went out of business, and rightly so. They couldn't even make hot chocolate that was drinkable.

So tell me, who is it that I'm supposed to be sorry for?

Lindsay said...

I love just about any type of coffee shop for the relaxed and even artsy atmosphere they generate. Yet, I really do not drink coffee, and it is not because I don't love it! But if the coffee shop's drinks are not good, I am sorry to say it does not matter whether or not it is a Starbucks, or a local church business project. The shop is doomed to failure, because the shops main purpose is drinks not cultural belongingness or God. That's just business.
Now not all Starbucks take over little Mom and Pop coffee shops. I went to a rather delicious coffee shop in Ohio called the Egg Plant, strange name I know. The drinks were good, and there was a used book store nestled within the shop as well. This was a great combo, because it hit the seeing and tasting portion of our senses all in one cafe!

Jonathan Erdman said...

Yeah, I'm definitely down with having a used book store inside of a coffee shop. That's just about perfect. Maybe a used record store would be cool as well.

Some coffee shops are a bit too yuppie, though, for my taste. They are artsy, but it's more the idea of grab-yer-coffee-to-go-oh-almighty-consumer. I like things that are a bit more retro and old school. Dim the lights a bit. Put some lamps around for people who want to read.

Lindsay said...

I agree, retroize anything and it's just about perfect. Yes, some coffee shops do try too hard to get the artsy, retro feeling! Those shops are usually tacky feeling, or stark. They give off the feeling of, botta-boom give me your money!