Jives Coffee Lounge

Jives Coffee Lounge. 

If you cannot tell already, I mostly visit coffee shops when I travel. First, that is led by my obsession with coffee, tea, and the like. Second, this is because I have found that coffee shops are a vein that allows one to feel the pulse of a city. I say the second part because coffee shops are run by adults who live in the city, staffed by high schoolers, filled by college students and young people, and held together by families getting out with their kids for a quick treat and grandparents reading the newspaper. Essentially, coffee shops are a sample size of city that reflects the true daily life of those from the city. So there will be a lot of coffee shops visited here. But I guess that helps find the PEOPLE. 

Jives. I cannot start without saying that the PEOPLE here made me cry. Cry, like overwhelmed by LOVE, cry. I picked up a menu and anyone would have been struck. Each panel described the origin of an item on the menu. Did you know the croissants are actually Austrian, first, not French? Or that the first popular production and consumption of bagels were amongst Jewish communities in Kracaw, Poland? I didn't either. Well these PEOPLE already have my attention by just challenging things I have never even thought to think about. 

Then I get up to the counter. The man looks up and with utmost sincerity says, "Hello, thank you so much for being here." I am sorry … what?!? This is a coffee shop, aren't you supposed to say "what can I get you?" Nope. This man was grateful for me choosing his place over all the other places. It was not about just the coffee or the food, it was about PEOPLE for him. But what pushed this encounter over the edge was the other owner. We were sitting, enjoying our food when she walks over to our table, and places a beautifully plated array of brownies and whipped cream for us. Free of charge. What?!? "These are for you," she said in perfect alignment with the man's intention. This place was more than just coffee and food for them, it was a place where they chose to see PEOPLE and in doing so chose to LOVE PEOPLE. It was then, as she walked away, I began to cry. Shouldn't I be the one grateful because I was the one who received? Shouldn't I be the one giving because this is their place of business?

What is marvelous is that this LOVE these two sought to create for the PEOPLE who came to their shop caused their guests to LOVE the same. Families laughed openly with each other, young people gave up seats for those who needed it, and PEOPLE asked to know the story of the strangers sitting around them.

Isn't it a wonder what PEOPLE can create when they attempt to LOVE in the smallest of ways?