Drinking Liberally at Blue State Coffee
Monday, May 10, 2010
While interviewing Alex Payson, the manager of the Blue State Coffee, a local, liberal establishment with competitive seating and fair-trade coffee, I abbreviated Blue State to BS in my notes. Every time I wrote this abbreviation, 26 times in seven pages, my mind mouthed the words bullshit; BS coffee house.
Coffee house culture is based in bullshit. Since their inception, coffee houses have been scenes, from Turkish cafes, to English intellectuals in the 18th century, the lit-art crowd of Paris in the 20s, to the espresso-heavy Seattle counterculture. Patrons gathered to write and read, or to pass the time. Sipping stimulation, coffee shops cater to bullshitting-- about art and society, literature and politics.
I thought Blue State was particularly bullshit because of its politics. Every quarter, Blue State Coffee donates 5% of its revenue to four local causes (not bullshit), which customers vote for by placing an adorable wooden toggle into labeled plastic dividers. But to me, the premise seemed gimmicky; Blue State touts a local focus while buying its mainstay product from South America, and its one-sided costumer appeal doesn’t encourage substantive discourse.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMeeting Alex Payson didn’t change my mind about substantive discourse. Slim, floppy-haired, coffee-stained, Payson operated on liberal cruise-control. However, he changed my mind about Blue State’s ability to focus on its local role in the community.
He explained, “It’s idealistic, in a way. We want to sell a good product to do some good. We want to sell great coffee in order to be profitable and survive, so that we can give back to community.” Blue State upholds these tenets with gold stars. Its ingredients are superb quality; the baristas are skilled at a range of fancy tricks, honed by participation in local barista competitions.
Quality and service have paid off, giving Blue State Coffee a profit of over $100,000 in the past few years to donate to their causes. “We select causes that our patrons suggest, usually looking for one environmental, one social justice, one education-based, and one current event, wild-card cause,” says Payson, gesturing to the Marriage Equality RI plastic bin to his right.
“It’s an image,” Susan Smuylan, Brown Professor of American Civilization, says, “but it’s not removed from their reality. It’s a message profoundly different from Starbucks.” Starbucks’ image, as much as Blue State’s, touts philanthropy to charitable causes, bottled bohemia, and environmental concern catered from a cozy, local gathering place. “Starbucks does all this to attract customers. Starbucks’ politics is for their profit, and Blue State’s profit is for their politics.”
Blue State Coffee, 300 Thayer St., Providence, www.bluestatecoffee.com
Want to see Alex Payson make latte art? Watch the video, here.
