The coffeehouse blend

Coffee shops present a paradox. On one hand, the coffee shop is the epitome of everything relaxing: comfortable seating, soothing music and low lighting. But these seemingly calm establishments are stocked with vats of caffeine behind their counters, providing the addictive buzz that gives the drink its reputation.
So why is this stimulating drink served in a low-key environment?

Soma Coffee House, 322 E. Kirkwood Ave., is stocked with mismatched tables and chairs, astronaut tapestries and a Lite Brite. Among the sea of Birkenstocks and old school high-top sneakers, the Ugg boots in the coffee shop stand out.

Old typewriters and a book exchange shelf sit in the hallway. A tip jar with a picture of Barack Obama reading “Tip us. We like change too,” sits on the counter.

But although the environment might lead one to think the demographic is liberal, employee and IU senior Ryan Plummer said the shop gets a diverse clientele.

“We get all kinds,” he said. “We get frat kids, townies, hipster kids, bicyclists, regular people; anyone you can think of.”

The back room, full of people reading, scribbling notes and typing on their laptops, is also silent. Most of the studiers have headphones on. A fair number of people sip coffee from white mugs – reusable mugs are much better for the environment – but are preoccupied with their studies. A poster on the wall of “Too Much Coffee Man” shows a wide-eyed man coming down from a caffeine high as he sits frustratingly stranded aboard a coffee cup boat in a coffee sea.

The front room, where the counter is, is slightly louder, but still at a low volume. Some quirky tunes – a mix that varies from lesser-known “indie” tunes to popular ones by artists like Stevie Wonder – play over the speaker. 

Two customers, both sporting dreadlocks, said it’s clear that regardless of what stimulants might be served, Soma provides a relaxing atmosphere.

“Soma is pretty chill,” said Asher Thompson, a junior at Bloomington High School North. “If you went to Starbucks, it wouldn’t be as quiet.”
Starbucks is, indeed, not as quiet.

The shop, decorated with plush brown leather chairs and National Geographic-esque photographs of foreign lands, plays a mix of Norah Jones, Ray Charles and Death Cab for Cutie – a much more mainstream lineup than that of Soma. The Ugg ratio here is reversed, and it seems Starbucks has established itself as the place to be for off-campus coffee and studying.

“I mean you’re in Starbucks,” Rachael Bowlby, a junior drinking a tall decaf coffee said. “It feels so vibey with this mood lighting. It’s sort of sexy. It’s like being in some warped time zone in some dream. You just feel so smart and studious.”

Bowlby and her friend, senior Brandy Feit, said they have a strict allegiance to Starbucks.

“Soma’s too creative,” Feit said. “I don’t want to paint a picture here. I just want to focus and do my homework.”

Homework is exactly what brings in many of Starbucks’ customers after dinner hours and into the wee hours of the morning, since the store is open 24 hours a day.

“The sole reason I come to Starbucks to study is because it’s a small, close environment,” said Holly Griffitt, a senior who was drinking a “very caffeinated” black tea. “The sounds and the smells keep me stimulated. I would never study anywhere else. It’s the place to be.”

No doubt Starbucks provides an interesting juxtaposition between the students struggling along through the night, leaning on their caffeine crutches, and the relaxed environment that makes it the perfect place for studying.

“Working the overnight shift, that’s the reason most people come in,” employee Amber Stewart said. “The people who stay here all night are always getting drinks. The later it gets the more they start getting things like espressos; nothing fancy really. The desperation for caffeine increases.”

Right on cue, a frazzled looking student wearing sound-canceling headphones rushed to the counter to order a venti (the largest size) Tazo brand “Awake” black tea. It was 10:34 p.m.

It is also no mystery that the two most popular coffee shops on Kirkwood, Soma and Starbucks, are at opposite ends of the social spectrum, with really only this famed beverage in common.

“It’s a different crowd here,” said Jenn Queen, a senior drinking a vanilla soy latte. “It’s very fratty.”

A neutral social environment proves advantageous for newer coffee shop The Pour House at 314 E. Kirkwood Ave.

“It’s a different atmosphere here,” Pour House employee and IU senior Chelsea Jones said. “Soma is sort of the stereotypical hippie place and Starbucks is ‘corporate.’ We haven’t really established a clientele.”

Other benefits of The Pour House include free Internet and drink refills.
But however different The Pour House may be, the craving for caffeine still drives customers.

“We make espressos that are decaf,” Jones said. “But they’re not popular if you’re younger than 40. Younger people rarely ever get decaf.”

Across campus, The Copper Cup at 1400 E. Third St. serves as a social hub. Due to its vicinity, it is a hotspot for students in the Jacobs School of Music.

“It’s about 75 percent music school kids,” IU senior and Copper Cup employee Zach Price said. “We definitely get a different crowd. There’s an influence of foreign students. There are always four different languages being spoken in here.”

The physical space provides a place for people to convene and hang out.

“I personally don’t study in coffee shops,” graduate student Stephen Fatulas said. “I may go and act like I’m studying so I can look at cute girls. People tell me they’re going to study at a coffee shop and I say, ‘You’re full of shit.’”

Though coffee shops seem like peaceful places, “awake,” just as the tea implies, is the theme of the party.

“I work at a coffee shop,” Stewart said. “It’s the only way I can stay awake.”