Can Starbucks Learn Local Is Beautiful?

The New York Times has a story about a local Kansas City coffeehouse forcing a neighboring Starbucks to pack it in.

"Next door, the Broadway Cafe was bustling. 'You win because of the coffee,' said Jon Cates, one of the owners..."

While coffee quality may be in the Broadway Cafe's favor, it's hardly the only reason coffeehouse lovers prefer the Broadway. This phenomenon is going on around Seattle, too, as places like Herkimer and Zoka and Louisa's gather in the caffeinated set while Starbucks scratches its head about what to do.

As the espresso version of a gas station, Starbucks may have enjoyed popularity for fuel 'n run types during the fast-lane boom of the '90s and early turn of the century. Starbucks outlets may get you on your way with a minimum of waiting -- there's even an Apple project to iPhone your order in so you don't have to do all that dreary standing in line -- but as such they don't really want customers tarrying over their double latte talls.

As we enter a new Slow Era, however, with a slowing economy and less insane lifestyle, coffee is returning to its roots as a linger-and-talk beverage. The coffeehouses that have lots of places to sit, a down-home atmosphere and plenty of people around will win over a Starbucks any time.

The irony in Seattle, of course, is that Starbucks actually is a "local" company. We can only hope Howard Schultz and his merry band of coffee purveyors get clued about changing times and demographics. Bigger stores, more lounging, a softer pace...will it work? Or is the "chain" reputation of Starbucks too entrenched to bring people back?

It's possible there are just too many coffeehouses, too, as my husband's "End of the Universe" (Lewis Black routine) video below shows:

Social networking no substitute for in the flesh

New York Times ("Friending, Ancient or Otherwise") talks about the new “oral” culture in discussing on line social networks, quoting academics saying that this kind of communication is similar to tribal communication of the past. That we’re basically talking when we blog and text message. After running on like this for several lines, the author finally asks whether there is any credence to this, quoting another academic saying that the more time we spend online “talking,” the less time we spend really talking.

Yes, people may be communicating online, but let’s face it. Nothing is a substitute for the REAL THING! One of the themes in my book is about learning to tell the difference between real and counterfeit community. Television and malls comprise counterfeit community! Is social networking counterfeit community? Well, it’s not as bad as TV and malls, but it should be being used to get people to talk face to face.

Enjoy Your Life, and Others Will Too

We’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves. People on the right are often filled with hate, but those of us on the left are angry or self-righteous a lot of the time. The best way to draw people into our movement is to welcome people and help them enjoy themselves. One of our longtime progressives, Barbara Ehrenreich, reminds us of that in her new book, Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy.

She shows how essential collective joy is to us, as human beings, and how dancing always threatens those in power. Where are our liberal dances! Bring back rock and roll parties. Let’s scare the people in charge!

Catch Barbara's message in a New York Times piece.

New York Times' Bob Herbert: Everyone should be a part-time politician

In his New York Times column this morning (also available here if you lack a NY Times subscription), Bob Herbert says that it looks like we can hope for little action at the top. Everyone is just playing it safe. Our only hope, he says, is the citizens taking action. We’ve done it before: the labor movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and on and on. We can change things.

He calls for us to turn off our TVs and protest, attend meetings, circulate petitions. Run for office!

He’s talking about practicing democracy, of course. But he’s also talking about building community. At its heart, democracy is community, because it’s people coming together for the common good.

And it’s so much more exciting and fulfilling than TV or shopping! Every time you stop to talk to someone, you’re not only building community, you’re practicing democracy, for John Dewey said, “Democracy is born in conversation.”

What was so inspiring about the column was his final quote from Eisenhower, who said in 1954: “Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage.”

This is why those of us in the Take Back Your Time movement feel so strongly that we must work for shorter work time policies to do something to counteract our sickness of overwork and time poverty. Democracy takes time!

Slow Life Slow Food voluntary simplicity Cecile Andrews Take Back Your Time green lifestyle Slow Is Beautiful simple living Bob Herbert New York Times