We’re having Portland, Oregon weather here today, i.e. rainy, gloomy, cool. It would be nice to move back there. (That may have sounded sarcastic, but I’m serious.) In very many ways, Portland is my kind of town. Speaking of Portland, I bought a pound of Sulawesi (a.k.a. Celebes) coffee from the Starbucks in Bowling Green (Ohio) on Friday. The customer service was exceptional. (Here’s an irony… The first several Starbucks I ever visited were in Portand circa 1995. I was offended enough by the callousness of the employees that I never went back whilst I lived there and gave all my coffee business to Coffee People and La Patisserie. Upon reluctantly trying the Starbucks in Ann Arbor (Michigan) at Kelly’s very strong urging, I was impressed by the high quality of the service there and consequently lifted my boycott. I would almost think it was a question of regional differences, except that the service at Portland’s Coffee People was almost always extraordinarily good. It may be a question of management (at the store, district, or regional level), or maybe it’s a matter of changes at the corporate level over time.) At any rate, this is the first time since 2000 that I have bought my favorite coffee in the world, and yes, my friends, the magic is still there. Thank the gods for good coffee. It may be expensive, but it’s worth it.
I have also been thinking about bookshops (as always), puppet theatres, and combining the two, both as a business and as an edifice. The more I think about it, the more I think Portland, Oregon may be one of the best places in North America to attempt such a venture. There are other places where it could do well, too, but Portland is still like a second home to me.
Tags: coffee