Why I love coffee shops

A cynical person would say that coffee shops are pretentious establishments that sell overpriced products, and there is perhaps a slender truth in this. For example, the cost of a large latte in Costa could buy a whole pot of coffee in a supermarket store.

But I love coffee shops, in a bizarre way I treat a trip to the coffee shop the way some people treat going to the gym. I go there to be productive without the need to really socialise with other people, it's a social space in which you have the choice of not being social. There's a comfort in knowing that while you are by yourself, you are not really alone.

I go to coffee shops to mainly write, and on the odd occasion I'll read. I would much rather do these things in a coffee shop than a library or at my desk. While libraries are great places that should be cherished, they are also very lonely, and a bit too quiet. Writing at home can also be lonely, a lot of the time that is fine, it allows me to be more productive, but the loneliness can be a distraction as well. Your mind becomes empty and it's easy to lose your attention by the smallest thing, even the gentle sound of traffic can make my mind wander, and the feeling of being isolated quickly sets in.

There are two other reasons why I like spending my time in coffee shops. The first one is that unlike most retail outlets in town centres and high streets, people go to coffee shops to be social and for the comfort, no doubt this is because a coffee shop is providing you with a service rather than just a product to buy. But this in turn means that coffee shops have to provide a more personable experience, because if they don't then they simply won't get regular customers. So the types of people who spend time in coffee shops are generally not troublesome.

The other reason is a bit more personal, and goes back to my point that while I am by myself in a coffee shop I never feel lonely. Just before I leave I usually just sit back and glance at everyone else and wonder what stories lay behind them, and why they are where they are. One day I'd like to write a multi story novel set in a coffee shop, it's just figuring out what the drama could be?