Why “Cafe” ?

By: Kahlea Williams

I love cafes. I always have. To me, they are one of the last bastions of public spaces, despite their tendency to be private and for-profit.

When you walk into a cafe, you are entering a community. I have always loved the unique nuances between cafes, and the fact that they will always be different from one another, despite sharing the same framework and business concept. You never know what to expect when you walk into a cafe in a new city; it could be a punk-rock hole-in-the-wall, blasting The Misfits over gnarled speakers with homemade protest flyers plastered all over the walls; or it could be a sleek, industrial-chic yuppie scene, serving artisanal gluten-free croissants and a 3-drink menu, and no you cannot get any of them decaf. These nuances are born out of the community that inhabits the cafe: both the regulars and casual customers, as well as the general demographics of the population, geography, socioeconomics, political factors, and so many more that shape the inhabitants of the cafe’s community.

They are also one of the few spaces where you can exist with minimal expectations. You buy a drink, maybe a pastry, and can sit for hours with your headphones in, writing the next NY Times best-selling novel, or building a website for your knitting business. But workers need not only apply, cafes are perfect landing spots for the flâneurs and flâneuses of the world, those who wander but are not lost. It can be a meeting space for your social justice group, or a venue for niche art performances. Alternatively, and perhaps even more importantly, the lack of expectations within cafes push against the fast-paced productivity-obsessed capitalistic culture of ours; one can lounge around and savor their expertly crafted latte for hours, existing for no other purpose than to linger in the ambiance curated by the baristas.

Here at K&M Cafe, we are tackling some heavy topics, and engaging in discussions that normally might be had alongside regulars of our favorite local coffee shops. But alas, these unexpected circumstances have driven us to create an alternative outlet for ourselves and our community, one where we can feel safe to explore these, often at times, uncomfortable topics, and connect (virtually) in the same spirit as we might over a freshly brewed cup of joe.