In addition to being a college
student and an honors faculty assistant, I’m also a barista at a Starbucks near
my off campus home. Often times, people think of coffee shops as a place to
read and study, and they’re not wrong. After serving someone their beverage,
it’s not uncommon for them to just sit down on one of our couches and read for
hours on end. I’ve seen book clubs arrive early in the day and not leave until
closing time. Interestingly, these customers always read physical, bound books;
I have never seen a Nook or Kindle in my Starbucks. As an English major, it’s
always fun to strike up a conversation with one of these folks about what
they’re reading. Whether it’s the Bible, a textbook, or the latest teen romance
novel, they always have something interesting to say. Several people have even
exchanged phone numbers with me in hopes of continuing our conversation. When
I’m not working, I too frequent coffee shops to read my favorite books and
study for exams.
In
an interview with a friend of mine who is both a regular customer and amateur
writer, she considered Starbucks to be the best place to do her writing. She
described the atmosphere as “relaxing,” and that it gave her an escape from the
stresses of daily life. It allowed her to focus on doing research for her next
writing projects free of distractions. It also allowed her to interact with
other readers/writers who she could discuss different ideas with all while
drinking her favorite beverage. Interestingly, she indicated that she thought
of Starbucks more as a place to write and study, and not necessarily read. A
statement I thought to be odd.
In
an age where brick and mortar bookstores are struggling to survive, I feel that
it makes sense to combine bookstores with other services like a coffee shop.
One classmate informed the class about a coffee shop that also allowed
customers to rent books while they ate. If the customers ordered a beverage or
a pastry, then it lowered the cost of their book rental. What a genius idea!
The coffee shops I visit the most are usually the ones located inside
bookstores like Barnes & Noble or an independent, so I think doing more to integrate the two like the aforementioned coffee shop would further propagate
both services.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely am in favor of the idea of combining bookstores and coffee shops. I use Starbucks and other local coffee shops as a place to read and write. In fact, I am writing this from a coffee shop right now. During my freshman year, I took Introduction to Creative Writing, and I wrote all of stories at Starbucks. There is something about the atmosphere that is busy, yet calm that make coffee shops the perfect place for reading, writing, editing and discussion.
ReplyDeleteThis summer, I was traveling Europe with a study abroad program at TCU and one my favorite restaurants in Vienna was Pickwick’s International Café. Pickwick was a combined coffee shop, restaurant, bookstore and video store. It was a hub for university students, many of them completing group projects or working on papers. I spoke with the bartender, because apparently it turns into a nightclub and pub after 9pm, about the success of the establishment. He said that while the store did not make much money on book sales, the atmosphere brought in many college students, who were willing to spend money on food and drinks. This is for sure something that should be brought back to the United States. As an aspiring writer, I plan on spending a lot of time in stores similar to this in the future.
I really like this idea of combining coffee and books because it could really help bookstores make a come back and become more relevant today. I also think I would enjoy sitting at a bookstore/coffee shop because of how peaceful it would be. I don't like going to coffee shops because I can do everything at my house but if they combined with bookstores I would go more for the atmosphere and to buy books while I was there. I think it's a great idea and I'd love to see these pop up in the future.
ReplyDelete