Hyde Perk
It has long been my dream to go to a coffee shop consistently enough to be known by the baristas. I do not know why, but something about being a part of the local culture and knowing/being known by normal PEOPLE in my community is romantic. It is likely, also, due to my excessive reading of fiction. What I didn't think about was who I would be known by, I just wanted to be known.
When we first moved into the neighborhood, me and my husband's first stop was to Hyde Perk Coffee. It was within walking distance of our new home, nestled in a cute "downtown," of sorts, in our neighborhood just outside of the real downtown. It was secluded yet busy, two qualities we loved about the neighborhood we moved into. We stopped for an afternoon coffee, of course. I wouldn't say Hyde Perk is particularly trendy, there are no white walls or green fauna anywhere. I wouldn't say it is particularly eclectic either, it is not cluttered with old books or worn out games to play. It is just a coffee shop: cute and simple. I was drawn to it, however, because it was close and gosh darn it I was going to be known by a coffee shop barista.
Because it was close, we visited more and more. During the mask era, I would do school work from there or walk there during a study break. My husband works there in the middle of the afternoon and walks back home. I walk my dog there in the mornings. We have our weekly coffee dates there. All the while, ordering coffee and the occasional pastry.
What stands out about Hyde Perk, first, is how the baristas greet you. No matter if they know you by name, recognize you, or have never seen you before, they always greet you as if you're a regular. That makes you, from the start, feel like you belong. That makes you feel the LOVE. Second, they rarely, if ever, ask for your name. Somehow they have a system (or something) to remember who ordered what. Now at first glance this is maybe the opposite of being known; I mean, how could you be known if they don't know your name? But I would argue there is more LOVE doing it this way. Why? Because rather than relying on a name, any name, and shouting it out while waiting for a faceless person to pick up their drink, the baristas have to look at you and, even for a brief minute, remember what you look like, distinct from all the others. They have to remember you amidst the PEOPLE. In that minute you become a real human with a face. Woah. Third, they bring your drink to you. Most coffee shops have a counter where you pick up your coffee, but no, not here. There is always a barista running drinks to PEOPLE who ordered; outside, inside, sitting, standing it does not matter, they bring your drink to you. What does weaving through the PEOPLE have to do with belonging and LOVE? Everything. Again, because they have to remember you and look for you amidst all the PEOPLE, and that extra minute or two walking to you makes you a face to remember.
Now, you combine all of that with the frequency we visited, you immediately become known. The baristas now, and for a while, know our drink orders, what days we come in, and ask us about the other when we come alone. We have gotten many personal touches from our Hyde Perk family, including a handwritten letter from a barista leaving and a happy birthday sticky note on my drink for my birthday, to name two.
I cannot admonish to you enough about how much LOVE I feel walking into Hyde Perk, LOVE given by ordinary PEOPLE by ordinary PEOPLE. I feel at home, a feeling I did not expect when I romanticized being a regular at a local coffee shop. I know others feel the same. And all it took was a few simple, atypical changes to a typical coffee shop to create a community of PEOPLE who belong and share LOVE.
What ordinary PEOPLE are you known by?
