A eulogy for Starbucks

I remember when Starbucks first came to my town. It was a big deal… a big city coffee shop… in my small town. Really?

And it really was a big deal. It was one of the go-to gathering places for meetings. You heard people connecting. You could get to know the baristas by name with minimal effort. I went there all the time with my wife and kids.

And then, something happened. Whether it was COVID, smartphones, the increase of our consumer culture1, or Starbucks itself, the store in my town is a different place today.

Any time I visit, there is virtually no one in the store.2

The baristas are superficially friendly, but mainly to the DoorDash guys and gals that they know by face from their daily (or maybe hourly?) pick-ups.

On an abnormal day, I will see one meeting happening. That’s a “big connection” day at my town’s Starbucks now.

In my short adult life, in my small town, people no longer gather at Starbucks for any sort of connection. And people don’t go there to work or to read with the hope that they may strike up a conversation with someone they don’t know.

Rest in Peace, Relational Space.

You may think I care about my town’s Starbucks. I actually don’t.

The death of community and conversations means we need to be on the lookout for good community and conversations. Places and spaces where people just hang out and talk are not easy to find. So, when you find a space like that, treat it like GOLD.

Also, their coffee isn’t very good. But that’s the subject of another post.