DELIBERATELY DIVERSE | by Mitch Drummond
“ Deliberately Diverse” represents the thoughts and views of a group of Taylor friends who almost never entirely agree on anything but appreciate the opportunity to share opinions and discussions in our beloved community.
As I’ve gotten older (yes, it happens if you’re lucky), I find myself spending most mornings at one of our coffee hangouts in Taylor. There are at least a half dozen, everything from convenience stores to cafes. These coffee shops play an important role in all small towns and not just because we need coffee for the road or on the way to work. The best coffee shops are designed to slow us down to mindfully enjoy a cup and interact face to face, sometimes with complete strangers.
The modern coffee-shop experience began in the 1990s with the advent of Starbucks (Taylor has one at 2990 N. Main St.), which positioned itself as a third space between home and work where people could gather, socialize or work in an inviting environment.
The idea quickly spread across the country. These local coffee shops – many of them downtown – contribute to the small-town economy by breathing new life into vacant storefronts, attracting and supporting other local businesses, creating jobs, appealing to locals, newcomers and visitors; and contributing to the town’s vitality, growth and development.
It’s all about the community.
The local coffee-shop model can bridge generational gaps by appealing to teens, young professionals, families and retirees; allowing inter-generational interactions; creating a sense of community; and providing a venue for building relationships that might never happen outside of the coffee shop.
A coffee house can bring people together despite their disagreements, age, sex, color, religion or family history. These small groups of three, seven or 10 folks exchange stories of happiness and struggles, and discuss current issues and politics, sometimes passionately. This is the grass roots of real local government, and I am sure these same discussions are happening at other coffee shops around the country.
The arrival of COVID19 knocked the wind out of our downtown businesses including my second home, the Curbside Coffee Shop. It was resurrected as Good Strangers, 114 W. Second St., and has managed to successfully ride out the storm.
Our current coffee klatch consists of 14 folks, many of whom would never have met but for Good Strangers. Now, with several new local coffee shops here – Ripple & Rose Cafe opened its doors Aug. 1 at 109 W. Third St. and Haciendo Coffee Roasters soon will debut – we have so many great coffee shops to choose from that one member of the group created a Facebook page to remind us where to meet up each morning. The goal is to support all of our local downtown coffee shops and still keep up with each other. These businesses are important to the recovery of central Taylor and our community, and we are trying to do our part, one cup of coffee at a time.
So, start your day a little early by taking a few minutes to savor a great cup of coffee downtown and meet a friend, including a lot of new folks.
Drummond is a longtime Taylor resident and former City Council member.
