Cafe Deux Soleil (Vancouver, BC)
Cafe deux Soleil
(604) 254-1195
2096 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC V5N 4B2, Canada
http://www.cafedeuxsoleils.com/
One of the greatest cafe/restaurants on the Drive. If you’re in Vancouver, then treat yourself to a visit. Great drinks, great food, great atmosphere. Evenings will enchant you with poetry readings, live performances, and social gatherings. Very alternative atmosphere and patrons. Great play area during the day for the kids so the parents can chill and relax … I give this joint a 5 thumbs up out of 5. Visited on October 12, 2005 (and many many times prior to that!)
Coffee for a Cause
Fighting cancer is hard enough without the added pressure of being a small business owner. But when Lynda Larsen was diagnosed with cancer in August, she quickly combined her struggle against cancer with her work as owner, with her husband, Steve, of Cafe Cartago, a specialty coffee distributor based in Denver.
The company’s newest product is Bald Lady Coffee, the proceeds of which will go to organizations that support women financially as they go through cancer treatment.
“Not only does this disease exact an emotional and physical toll from surgery and rehabilitation,” Lynda Larsen said in a news release, “it can also present an enormous financial burden for survivors who are unable to work and/or have inadequate insurance. I have been fortunate to be blessed with a large support network of my husband, family, and friends, but not everybody can say the same.”
The coffee sells for $8.99 per 12 ounce bag and is available in regular, drip grind. Free shipping is included for orders of 6 or more bags. To purchase the coffee, call (303) 297-1212 or visit
Goodbye Blue Monday
Goodbye Blue Monday
319 Division Street
Northfield, MN 55057
(507) 663-6188
A no smoking coffeehouse in the heart of Northfield, Minnesota. Northfield is a small college town 40 miles south of Minneapolis and St. Paul, home to both Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges. Situated nicely between the two, the coffeeshop has become a nice study venue for students from both schools (and since it is open until midnight on a regular basis, and sometimes later during finals, you will likely find someone studying on the couches).
Besides the constant flow of students on their way to or from class, the coffeeshop caters to the locals (also known as “townies”) as well. Professers regularly stop by on their way to teach class, as do the local high school and elementary school teachers. Local business people drop by for a morning scone and latte, as well as the latest gossip from their circle of friends.
Their are three unique elements to Goodbye Blue Monday that make it stand above and beyond most other coffeeshops. First, the owners. Dan Riggins and Catherine Dominguez met in Law School at Stanford. After graduation, Catherine was hired by a firm in St. Paul, but they never gave up their hope of opening a small-town coffeeshop. Finding a great spot in Northfield, they never looked back. 15 years down the line, you will still find the two of them behind the counter, serving coffee, making scones, and talking to customers.
Second on the list is the decor: it can only be described as comfortable. Retro chairs and tables abound, as well as couches that would seem to be more at home in a college dorm room than a respectable business. Quite the opposite of conveying a feeling of shabbiness, these touches lend a sense of “home” to the store. Comfort is a number one priority.
And finally, the most unique element to the store is the music. Underneath the counter behind the bar are two 250 disc CD players full of the most eclectic music collection you may ever run across. It is just as common to hear the Beatles as it is to hear Son Volt (a band that recorded their first album in Northfield), from Moby and St. Germain to Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald. The sound is never the same, and never dull.
Over all, I have to give Goodbye Blue Monday a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars (the only problem being the lack of a lunch menu, although pastries and sweets abound). Last visited 5/8/05.
Indie vs. Corp
I’m not a big coffee drinker so I might be wrong about the relationship between baristas and customers. I go to both corporate and independent coffee houses and notice that baristas in local cafes are more likely to build a relationship with their customers. This past summer I’ve become sort of a regular at a local coffee house two blocks down from my workplace. The baristas are always friendly and willing to get to know their customers. I’ve had several sit down convos with these baristas and it feels more like a friendly relationship, rather than a customer/employee relationship. I’ve been to Starbucks for years and never was there a time when an employee asked for my name (other than to identify my order) or had a conversation with me.
Now I’m not saying that they should remember me, eventhough I’ve been to the same one almost everyday and order the same thing. I’m just saying that those who work in independent coffee houses are much more welcoming and make mornings bearable by asking how things are going and what not. Maybe it’s the overflow of coffee drinkers who gathers in Starbucks every morning for a brew.
I also notice the difference between customers in Starbucks (or any other corporate coffee houses) and the indie houses. Starbuckans are like robots. Caffeine is like a battery for them to operate. They stand straight up, waiting patiently (sometimes impatiently) to order their mocha mocha double chocolate cappucino with room, while those in the indie house casually wait in line reading today’s paper or chatting it up with whoever is next to them. Also, you’d most likely find someone who has something in common with you at the indie house.
I’m not going to abandon Starbucks because of this, cause I still need my tall caramel macchiatos.
