Community at Tullys
It's cold, wet and snarely out here in the Seattle area today. On my way home from an appointment, I stopped in at Tullys to grab some warm liquid (peppermint cocoa). The Tullys in Bothell is a small store at the end of a strip mall and I wasn't expecting much activity. Wow! That place was hopping!
In one corner was a group working on some sort of project together, perhaps college students. I saw a mom with her 4 year oldish son having a bit of blueberry muffin. Several guys at different tables had their computers open. In the back are comfy overstuffed chairs next to a fireplace where I noticed a couple of folks conducting phone business.
On the wall next to where you pick up your drinks is an article that someone cut out of the Seattle times talking about how Tullys has gone 'greeen' and raised their prices by ~11cents a cup. They have compostable paper cups, use 100% organic coffee and recycle stuff. Seems good.
It helps that Tullys provides free wireless access--this has drawn me there many times and away from Starbucks. Honestly, I don't like the way Starbucks smells, either. I smell like burnt coffee when I walk outta there.
So, I look at all this and I find community. Each doing their own thing, but choosing to do it together. Seattle is a bit reserved, I think. It's hard to tell because I live here, but I have traveled and felt other local flavors out there. I do know that coffee shops are where we build community--I can feel it. So, can we connect people together somehow? Is there a common thread or something to rally around that could ignite this? Would people freak out and run out the door? This is the type of place were we could get together and make change. Heck, I bet we could even put some creative thoughts together about our transportation issues. It's ripe.