Saint Paul is a traditional, working class kind of town that has a neighborhood bar at nearly every important intersection. Many of them are institutions that have been serving the neighborhood for what seems like forever. What’s new in the last decade or so is the increase in locally owned neighborhood coffee shops across the city.
There isn’t a set name for them yet, with many people using the terms “café” or “coffee house” or “coffee shop” interchangeably. The most interesting part of this new feature of neighborhood life is that very few of them are national chains. It’s easy to get to know the owner because that’s the person who is likely to serve you in the morning. They aren’t a “barista” and they won’t serve you something with a pseudo Italian name – you call them by first name and ask for a “Large dark coffee”.
The way this came about is a story in itself. The friendly, personal service is something that Saint Paulites naturally support, so the market was obviously there. What made it all possible is the infrastructure created by some of the local chains that have a number of outlets across the city and into the suburbs. Dunn Brothers was one of the first, and they sell their coffee at a number of places around town, including the Downtowner and Trotter’s. Caribou Coffee has a strong presence in this as well. J&S Coffee (pictured below) is one of the smaller outlets that provides fresh and unique coffee to many local shops in addition to their own two locations.
What can you expect in one of Saint Paul’s coffee shops? First of all, unlimited free WiFi is standard. Each café is also very generous about allowing people to stay all day long if they want, encouraging meetings and gatherings. In these ways, they are definitely serving a need as neighborhood hubs. Some offer live music at night and computers with internet access for those that didn’t bring their own laptop, as Rudies does (pictured at top).
What all of these establishments have in common is that they are very Saint Paul. While sitting around in a bar all day isn’t considered acceptable to most people, a day in the local coffee house is. The same approach to life and work, in the neighborhood, has created a new institution that is run in about the same way. The only difference is that you can drink the product all day and not be impaired, unless you’re too wired to be useful; that’s still not illegal, however.
As things change around us, what stays constant is Saint Paul. New things come in with each generation, but they fit into how we have been living our lives. What counts is knowing the people we buy from and hang out with in the old Saint Paul ways. In the process, there’s plenty of really good coffee to be found that is served up by people who really care about what they are doing. That’s what makes it so good.
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