The L.A. Dime

So, among the independent-minded, socially and environmentally aware, anti-chain store globalization haters, it’s cool to despise Starbucks. In L.A., they prefer the smaller, specialty coffee houses, the Mom & Pop shops, or at the very least, Coffee Bean or Peete’s, which have, say, 1/1000 of the retail footprint of the Seattle Java Giant.

I tend to agree with them on most counts. I mean, if you can find a place with good atmosphere and great coffee that isn’t a Starbucks, one that’s locally owned and not franchised – then I say go for it. Support the good folks who have dared to dream; who have staked a flag in the suburban cement with the audacity to take on corporate America. Give them your business. Go to the record stores, book stores, drug stores, hardware stores, and restaurants owned by people who make decisions about their businesses themselves, without having to download directives from the corporate office.

Problem is, and this is sad, it takes work to find these places nowadays. We must be willing to drive off the beaten path, break our routine, or get out of our chair, put on our pants, and sign off from the internet to take a chance. Until recently, I’ve been lazy. I’ve been a Starbucks guy mostly because they provide big, open spaces with lots of outlets for my computer. Plus…they’re everywhere. The coffee itself isn’t even that much of a consideration, especially since I can make it better at home with my Freiling French press sold at The Tabletop. I use coffee shops as office space with cheap rent so that I can get out of the house and write in a hard wooden chair far from all of the distractions of home (see Tivo).

For months, I’ve driven by a little place near our home called Java Groove, and I’ve always thought – “I should check it out. It’s CLOSER than Starbucks. But it could suck, and then I will have wasted, like, five minutes and $3 checking it out.”

Well, it’s a New Year, so I finally went in and discovered – insert trumpet fanfare – it doesn’t suck. It’s great, in fact. Italian Illy brand coffee, free wi-fi, clean tables and floors, hot panini sandwiches, plenty of outlets, and friendly service to beat even the best Starbucks – you know, the one right next door to the corporate headquarters in Seattle where they’re testing the seasonal Easter Eggochino?

Lesson learned. Next time I see a privately owned shop providing a service or product I require, I’ll give them a shot. If it sucks, I won’t go back. But hopefully it won’t, and I’ll be supporting private enterprise – which, as our President says, “is the backbone of America,” while he and the rest of Washington take millions of dollars in contributions from those Java Giant types.

Java Groove Coffee
14310 Victory Blvd
Van Nuys, CA 91401
(818) 785-6593

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