Geography of Coffee Shops
According to the Small Business Development Center, 77% of Americans drink coffee daily and 66% of them buy their coffee from a coffee shop rather than brewing it at home. Not surprisingly then, there were about 20,000 coffee shop businesses in the U.S. with combined revenues of $10 billion in 2011.
Chances are, you have a favorite coffee shop or three in your area that you frequent either on the way to work, or as the place where you get work done or meet with a friend or social group. In this episode, I’m analyzing the history and geography of our beloved classic coffeehouse.
Show Notes
Additional Reading from The Awl: https://theawl.com/not-the-safe-space-you-were-thinking-of-df4d957302e2#.c9bi0agv3
Residents fighting coffee shops/gentrification: http://www.expressnews.com/news/politics/article/Proposed-coffee-shop-prompts-gentrification-5143544.php#/0
http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/03/local/la-me-echo-park-gang-20140126
Mapping Starbucks’ Worldwide Domination: https://qz.com/208457/a-cartographic-guide-to-starbucks-global-domination/
Social Network Start-up Opening Coffee Shops to Foster Connection Among Users: http://www.psfk.com/2012/02/real-life-social-network-coffee-shop.html
Sources:
Small Business Development Council
Wikipedia has you covered on the history of coffeehouses around the world
Clustering of retail shops, including coffeehouses
Fordism, Post-Fordism, and Coffee from Colorado University
More on the history of coffeehouses from The Economist
Project for Public Spaces on the coffeehouse as neighborhood amenity
Florida State on the connection between coffeehouses and sense of community
U of Virginia on coffee shops’ impact on creativity and entrepreneurship
PBS has some coverage on coffee shops and genius!
Coffeehouses and crime rates, for what it’s worth
Coffeehouses and walkability
Pew Research on coffee shops, internet access, and connection
Starbucks and property values
Speculation, coffee shops, and gentrification
Intentional inclusivity and coffeehouses
