Posted by beansbaxter in Tacoma, Washington: In a desperate need to find some free wireless, I stumbled upon this coffee house in Tacoma. The atmosphere is lame, the coffee leaves a lot to be desired, and the wireless is shoddy to say the least. Not to be too much of a pessimist, the one thing it has going for it is that it’s open 24 hours every day.
With all the good and bad coffee shops in Seattle and the surrounding region, why aren’t more coffee shops open 24 hours? I dont think justifying the business costs would be a problem. Just like running a coffee shop, if the demand warrants it and business is good, then I think it would be good for both the business and the consumer. With any place for coffee, the quality of the coffee and a good atmosphere is always needed to make a coffee shop seperate and above from the rest.
24 hours, open 7 days a week, a good atmosphere, quality coffee, free wireless Internet, ample room, good acoustics - is that too much to ask for?
There is a difference in attitude, I find, between a coffee shop like Zoka next to U-Village and Solstice on the Ave. Zoka caters to students who need wireless; Solstice seems to go for a more eclectic clientel base.
At Solstice, you see couples or small groups coming in to socialize for a short while over their coffee; you’ll see an individual come in with a paper for a few minutes on their way through the area. Now and then you get a study group, and there are always a couple laptops. The music is much more interesting, and the artwork on the wall is often interesting and always changing.
Unfortunately for Solistice, the coffee, although very consistent, is not on par with Zoka. Zoka, though less consistent, has beans that have more potential and you have more of a chance of getting a day-making pull than you do of getting a doppio that makes you homicidal.
Zoka wins for its beans; Solstice has atmosphere–you choose…
So may I ask what particular shop this was?
I think i general there are not that many people in Tacoma that are demanding this. But it would be nice.
This particular coffee shop I blogged about was Bertolino’s Espresso Bar on South Union Avenue in Tacoma.
I used to work there, a long time ago. Back when the coffee used to be good, as well as the atmosphere.
I still know the owner, but he is kind of a redneck, and really old school about most things. I am surprised he actually has wireless.