Coffee no more
I just found out today that my favorite local coffee shop, The Bean Scene, is on the verge of closing. For about the last two or three years, The Bean Scene has been a social center in north Minneapolis. It lacks some in the charm department--the imprint of the Burger King that used to be housed there is still on the door handle. But I've seen almost all the local political leaders there, and it's been a good place to hang out in the neighborhood. This might just be the educated white liberal in me talking, but it's a unique space within this place, one where I think a lot of positive things happen. Apparently, just not enough.
Having an upscale coffee shop in the heart of Minneapolis' ghetto was always an uphill proposition. On one level, it doesn't surprise me that fried chicken and burgers outsell lattes here. Ideally, the Bean Scene would have found a business model that was more economically accessible for everyone. Yet beggars can't be choosers, and should it close (as I guess it will), I'll miss it. It's one of a just a handful local businesses started with the intention of bringing more economic stability and culinary diversity to the neighborhodd (Papa's Pizza is another example) that just hasn't been able to get over the economic hump. There's just not a market here for them. Broadway Liquors across the street is owned by the same people, and that seems to be doing much better. Booze, not espresso, is the drink of choice, it seems. Again, I recognize my own economic and cultural bias here. But it's sad to see a business of value to the neighborhood doing so poorly.
This news also comes on the heels of a Star-Trib article last week about the struggles of the Midtown Global Market, a unique food space in South Minneapolis that opened to wide acclaim last year. It's one of the most diverse shopping and eating experiences in the metro, from my perspective. But while that area is much further along the gentrification path (one fraught with difficulty), I guess the economic willpower isn't quite there yet to make Lake and Chicago a cultural hotspot.
Of course, all of this just gets me thinking about Geography and my potential grad school journey. Understanding how food spaces relate to their urban context is something I'm definitely interested in. But all the same, there's a personal connection to both these places that goes beyond scholarly interest for me.