Checked out the new coffee spot in Royal Oak and the line was out the door at 10 AM on a Tuesday. Are we just that desperate for a decent latte or is this a sign of something bigger?

2 comments

2 Comments

That Royal Oak line is a symptom of the third place crisis. We lost all our bookstores, diners, and malls where people just hung out. Now a coffee shop is the only spot to kill an hour between meetings or just get out of the house. It's not just the latte, it's the need for a cheap chair in public that isn't your own living room.

davis.diana25d ago

Yeah the "cheap chair in public" thing is so real. I read this article about how libraries are trying to fill that gap now... putting in cafes and comfy seats on purpose. But it's not the same as a diner booth you could camp in for three hours over one coffee. Everything feels kind of temporary now, like you're taking up space you didn't pay enough for.