Coffee Shop History

coffeehouse / cafe / coffee shop

(depending on the era and character)

It's not only about the beverage!

What do the French Enlightenment and the Revolutionary War have in common?
Coffeehouses, or cafes, served as the de facto “headquarters” for each!
Coffeehouses haven’t always been the humble, innocent and caramel toned providers of respites and roasted beans that they are today, at least in North America a la Starbucks. Coffeehouses have a subversive history. They’ve been banned due to an atmosphere that breeds and/or spreads disaffected attitudes. Their primary product, coffee, has been prohibited for similar reasons.

Before Coffeehouses one of the most prominent sites of social exchange was the pub. A public house (pub) or tavern was and is a place were one could find the pulse, so to speak, of a community. The type of beverage pubs serve, alcoholic, doesn’t promote the kind of agreeable state of mind that everyone finds endearing, so coffeehouses were a welcome addition to the social landscape.

With the coffeehouse came an environment that allowed for intellectualism, one which, arguably, wasn’t afforded by pubs. A couple centuries ago coffeehouse in England were known as “Penny Universities.” The cost of admission was a penny and sometimes this included coffee but it was available for purchase if not. The latest news was available at these penny universities. Also discussion about many topics took place here.

In keeping with the social hub nature of coffeehouses, most in North America offer public access Wi-Fi(wireless internet).
Today the internet functions a lot like coffeehouses of previous centuries did. The internet, specifically blogging platforms, has been cited as a necessary ingredient in the resolution of many social injustices. In some brutal dictatorial regimes the internet has allowed citizens to spread awareness about the atrocities committed by the dictatorship or junta.
The provision of internet access is a rather commonplace offering but it wasn’t always the case. In the 1990s establishments with the express purpose of providing internet access sprung into existence. These “Internet Cafes” typically allowed customers, for an hourly rate, to use a computer with internet access. They fell out of popularity here in North America but in other parts of the world, Asia specifically, they remain quite popular.

Although local news was typically at hand in coffeehouses, it may come as a surprise that the London Stock Exchange started as a coffeehouse. What began as a cafe where stock and commodity prices were posted systematically turned into the third largest stock exchange in the world.

As it turns out, the New York Stock Exchange also started out as a coffeehouse! It was called the “Tontine Coffee House” and it was built by brokers and used as a place to conduct business.

 

 

Sources:

www.wikipedia.org/