Constantinople. (vintage postcard, public domain)
Coffee shops, like bars and tattoo parlors, are still proliferating in downtowns and small towns across the United States in the 21st Century. To a great degree, this is because the products they create and offer to consumers do not translate to on-line commerce.
Each of these enterprises also benefit from direct customer interaction with skilled individuals who personalize their service, whether through remembering a name and an order or developing a distinctive signature in their presentations. For coffee shops, this creates an interesting dynamic as the local and interpersonal combine with a product imported from other hemispheres.
