Breaking Up with Starbucks: Embracing the Local Coffee Scene

Readers of this blog will know that I have a love/hate relationship with Starbucks.

Things I love:

• Free wifi and electrical outlets
• Opens early! Most open by 5:30 or 6:00 am
• A coffee shop vibe where I can block out the world and focus on some work
• The baristas mostly know me. They know what I drink and have it punched in before I even get from the door to the till. We chat. Even though it’s a big corporate giant and some people think it is uber anonymous… become a regular there and they staff do get to know you.

Things I hate:

• Expensive - $3 for a tea??
• Corporate giant that isn’t the best
• As they renovate their locations, they are reducing seating which makes it harder to get a spot
• a 45 minute walk or a 8 minute drive... every day... spewing carbon fumes

I have tried other places. Really, I have. I tried a local coffee shop once and it was horrible. Sterile. Crappy tea. No outlets. Didn’t feel welcome. I’ve tried McDonald’s (I know… also a corporate giant). But it had erratic opening hours and while the tea was half the price of Starbucks… the vibe was off.

A few weeks ago, I was visiting my Mom in a small town. They have a Starbucks (yay!) but it’s in a grocery store and… while they had basic seating pre-Covid, that all changed during and after Covid… they now have zero seating. Buy your uber-expensive drink and take it with you.

Buy Local

But this morning… I am at one of the local coffee shops in my Mom's town. And no, it is not Tim Horton’s, although that is nearby. This coffee shop is cute. I last came here years ago. Not much has changed, except the faces behind the counter. They have varied seating – tables and chairs. Some bar stools at counters and a few comfy areas (couch). There’s even a bookshelf with books to read. And local artwork on the walls. It’s got a nice vibe with indirect lighting and relaxing instrumental music. They sell various drinks and bakery items as well as lunch things. The only negative is… they only open at 7 am. Which is kind of late for my blogging tastes but… you know what… when in Rome…

Here’s what I Love:

• A tea is $2.50... not bad
• They have electrical outlets (yay)!
• Nobody has barked at me for setting up my laptop – mind you, the place is not screamingly busy at this hour of the day. A lot of people come in for take-out. Heck, I even chatted with an old school-mate (we’ve known each other since Grade 3!).
• They asked if my tea was for  here or to-go and when I said “here”, I got my tea in a ceramic mug. Excellent.

Here’s What I Hate:

• I’m not sure if they have free wifi. There is a wifi network but it is secured. Online reviews say there is free wifi here but… I don’t see any signs with the wifi password. So I’d have to ask. And I hate asking. Sigh.

But on the whole… this is a very nice, very civilized coffee shop. I have made adjustments to my normal work pattern and am writing my blogs in a Word document. I can then copy and paste them later when I am reconnected to wifi. There is something about the coffee shop vibe that just works for me.

The other thing that I like here is… the owners are Asian, possibly Korean. I hear some accents. But what is cool is… I see all these older “red-neck” men coming in and they are all happily chit-chatting with the staff. “How was your weekend? Did you see the northern lights?” There is something refreshing and reassuring about small-town folk. Friendly. Welcoming. Open.

Now… all of this is leading up to… a new coffee shop is opening up just down the street from our house back home. I can actually walk there in 3 minutes or less. Will it be my new hang-out spot? Will they have electrical outlets? Free wifi? Cheap(ish) tea? And most importantly… what time will they open their doors? That is the burning question. Can I actually kick my Starbucks habit? Or will I just turn it into a new habit?

As the summer approaches and the sun rises earlier and earlier… I also realize that I could get up at 5 am and go for a nice long hike, come home, have breakfast and then go to the coffee shop. It would require me to alter my schedule but… is that such a bad thing? It might work. I will have to try it and report back.