Coffee in the Village

Time for coffee? I think I’ll take a stroll down to the Village.

Like you, I have all the coffee-making apparatus, the locally roasted beans, and a nice comfy chair at home. So why do I often prefer to amble around the corner and a couple blocks down when my body calls for caffeine?

Well, stretching the legs always feels good. A breath of fresh air is nice. But it’s mainly about that urban ambiance that good coffee shops do so well.

As a student of urban design, I am fascinated by what works and what doesn’t in cities. What makes us feel comfortable, safe, and welcome?

In my newly adopted Cook St. Village, an older central neighbourhood in Victoria BC, three cafes are integral elements of the urban fabric: Moka House, Serious Coffee and the ubiquitous Starbucks.

It’s no wonder that all three shops are thriving – they do a lot of things right, in terms of urban design. They are all built up tight to the sidewalks. They don’t have any mirrored glass: people can see people, both directions. The cafes all have patios, taking advantage of Victoria’s temperate year-round climate. The patios have moveable furniture, recognizing how fussy we humans are about being in or out of the sun, or being able to inch away from that sketchy someone who just sat down at the next table. Moka House has a bench facing directly onto the sidewalk and the short stone wall at Starbucks doubles as a bench when tables are all full.

They all put out water dishes for the Village dogs. Gotta love those little touches. Check out City Comforts: How to Build an Urban Village and make your own checklist of good urban design in these three gathering places. It is only in the nuances that the three begin to differ.

Moka House is individual. Idiosyncratic. Located in an older building, a few steps up from street level, its grungy furniture evokes a frat house ambiance. Moka’s street cred includes a clientele that doesn’t seem to frequent its competitors: bikers. I’m not talking criminal gangs here – just collections of hog riders out for a tour. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the big noisy bikes are a show. People turn and look.

Moka’s old fashioned south-facing veranda is its #1 physical feature. The atmosphere is all about watching: from the inside bar against the window, people watch the patio, where others watch the sidewalk, where people stand and watch the car and bike traffic come and go.

Located in newer buildings right at street level, both Serious Coffee and Starbucks have more indoor sitting space than Moka. But like Moka, the outdoor patios are a big part of their appeal. Cook St. Village is truly a village centre, with people coming and going all day long as they buy groceries, visit the doctor, do their banking, pick up some flowers, browse second hand furniture or process their laundry. The design of the coffee shops builds on that public ambiance by acknowledging that we are all part of the show, even while we are watching it.

Serious is in the newest building, with some storefronts next door still to be finished and occupied. In time, the cluster of new shops will look more comfortably integrated into the streetscape. They, too, have done many things right – with lots of glass, many doors onto the street, residential up above and around the corner so that this is literally a ‘lived in’ environment.

Of course, an hospitable environment depends upon more than physical design. Who are the people in these places? The staff at Serious are the most authentically welcoming, in my experience. Quick on the uptake and friendly, they come off as genuine.

A Vancouver Island chain, Serious Coffee also wins the respect of locals for its active programming, hosting activities ranging from live music to Spanish and French language evenings, and a philosophy discussion.

Starbucks staff are, as to be expected, well trained and friendly in that corporate sort of way. They beam happily but the curmudgeon in my thinks the greetings are a bit artificial. Across the street at Moka House, the reception by its young and informal crew is vaguely distant. There seems to be more comradery behind the counter, staff-to-staff, than there is staff-to-customer. Perhaps they tune me out due to my extra decades of worldly experience.

There are now five Moka locations and it’s apparently being franchised. It will be interesting to see whether idiosyncrasy can be effectively franchised.

Oh, and I almost forgot: the coffee. Does that matter? Of course. Tastes are personal but for my toonie, I prefer Serious brews. Dark, please, with room. Starbucks seems to be the preferred vendor for those who like the ‘specialty drink’ thing (don’t we all at some time?), while Moka, to my taste buds, doesn’t do anything particularly notable with its coffees.

And I would be remiss not to mention that, although I haven’t included it in this profile because it isn’t primarily a coffee place, the tiny Bubby Rose’s restaurant is the source of the Village’s very best cappuccinos.

All three contribute to the comfortable community ambiance. Of the three, only Moka House creates identifiable character that helps give the neighbourhood a distinct identity. People will make a special trip, on a free afternoon, just to drink in the street scene at Moka.

And while only Moka House has a character that uniquely says ‘this is Cook St. Village,’ Serious Coffee is building relationships that are important to the life and essence of the community. Even Starbucks, despite its corporate blandness, contributes with a shop that is respectful of the neighbourhood character.

With choices like that to explore, why would I want to brew a cup at home?

Recent Lorne Daniel Articles:

• Walking Consultations: moving public engagement beyond opinions
• Murals, pride and history help prevent graffiti
• Striding Unfamiliar Streets
• The Scientific Map Of A Human
• Office Technology As Appliances