Top 10: Why coffee shop entertainment beats the opera

Tyler Nail, July Shuffle winner

Live from the Winston-Salem Shuffle at Krankie's
1. Wear whatcha want
2. Get there when ya want (just don't miss the whole show)
3. Getcher caffeine fix anytime
4. Local talent honing their chops - where else can you hear performers on guitar, ukulele, piano, keyboard, and an 11-year-old singing "If I was living in space?" (BTW, if he lived in space, he sang, "I'd have lasers in my pants, just in case")
5. Judges chosen from audience - no professional critics, no gong!
6. No intermission - get up and move around when you want to stretch or mingle
7. Did I say, getcher caffeine?
8. Entertainment, drink & dessert for $10
9. No age limit - performers & fans ages 11 and up!
10. CoffeeCat can blog live from the coffee shop!

What are your top 10 reasons to enjoy coffee shop shows?

It Must Be Love, Love

Fans of one coffee shop created a blog to celebrate it. Great photos! This is the same coffee shop that hosted groundhogs on the patio!

Anyone else have a fan page for your favorite shop? Post a comment here so we can all check 'em out.

Be sure to look for your favorite coffee shop on Facebook and Twitter. CoffeeCat is trying to keep up, but as you know, "so many coffee shops, so little time."

Coffee Road Trip: The Seminole Trail (Route 29)

CoffeeCat and MochaMutt like to travel off the beaten path. We took well-worn paths, I-85 and I-95, to our destination of Fairfax, Virginia, so of course we had to take the James Monroe Highway and Seminole Trail back home.

Like most off-the-beaten-path travelers, we took a few detours for those tantalizing road signs that promised tourist attractions, both those created by Mother Nature and others by humans. After stopping in Madison, Va., to see a quilt shop (though neither of us quilt!), we decided to have lunch at the Piedmont Deli.

We found locally roasted coffee beans from Central Coffee and a pot of hot coffee that customers could help themselves to. We gobbled down the homemade chicken salad sandwiches before we could snap a photo, so here’s a photo of the delightful window display. It promotes all the made-in-Virginia goodies they offer, including pork, wine, and preserves. There’s also a good selection of local wine. Route 29 passes by more vineyards and wineries than we could count!

True (Chai) Confessions

MochaMutt has a confession to make - don't worry, it's not bad!! MochaMutt truly cherishes a good ol' cup o' chai. That's right, chai - - spiced tea. Since nearly every Triad Coffee Shop has a variety of teas and other non-coffee drinks available, I thought it would be OK to go public on this blog with my preference for this delectable drink. MochaMutt has a good sniffer, but has, on occasion, stumbled on a poorly concocted cup of chai.

Today, however, MochaMutt put the sniffer to work and discovered a treasure hidden in plain site. Java Jo'z on High Point Road in Greensboro was a welcome sight for my hot paws this afternoon. The barista promised me the best chai in Greensboro, and he might be right!! I ordered it cold, blended with ice instead of over ice, and dawg, was I impressed. It got me through a horrible weekly chore (grocery shopping) with a caffeine- and sugar-inspired spring in my step.

MochaMutt plans to try a few more varieties of chai concoctions and report back on them. We'd love to hear about your favorite cool treats for these steamy hot days. What's your favorite cold coffee shop drink? Where do you find it? MochaMutt wants to know.

Painting the Town Red in Reidsville

The Backstreet Buzz Coffee House in downtown Reidsville wants to be the community's "third place." It's not your first place (home) or your second place (work), but a third place where you can gather informally with long-time friends, new friends, young friends, and old friends.


CoffeeCat has already blogged about the wonderful-ness of coffee shops. Now I'm learning about other writers who think third places such as coffee shops are much more than places to buy coffee. They're good for our psychological well being and give us a sense of belonging. They improve our relationships and help us form new ones. If you're curious, you can read the books A Place for Us by Benjamin Barber and Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg.

Or, if you'd prefer to find out firsthand, stop by the Backstreet Buzz and chat with Dave and Linda. You can't miss it - it's the red building on Market Street!

Then, try some of the other coffee shops on our Coffee Shop Guide and let CoffeeCat know what you like about these third places.

Homeless Pet Day

Saturday, August 21 is International Homeless Pet Day

Animal Rescue Groups and pet stores throughout the Triad will be having special events to raise awareness and funds for spay/neuter programs and to find furever homes for homeless animals. Whatever else you plan to do on Saturday, please join CoffeeCat and MochaMutt in any of the many events in the Triad to make this day special.

Sunday's search for coffee

Psst, coffee shop fans, CoffeeCat does not want to admit that she had to rely on a chain (yikes!) restaurant for her Sunday morning coffee fix, but we did, eventually, end up with food in our tummies and caffeine in our veins. We started out with the best intentions to find a locally owned, cool-atmosphere hot-coffee shop, but they were all CLOSED! Finally, my tummy was growling so loud I had to start growling at CoffeeCat to take desperate measures. So, she had the cat-courtesy to take a lowly mutt with her to a chain restaurant that advertises itself as a Café with great coffee and free wi-fi. Although the food and drinks were not up to our usual standards, it fit the bill for a cool, rainy Sunday morning with two food and caffeine starved critters. I'll let CoffeeCat fill you in on some details, but when traveling outside the Triad, let's just say that great coffee shops are hard to find.....

You make me wanna . . .

Peaches, former shelter dog

Coffee shops with patios or sidewalk cafes make me want to move to their neighborhood, adopt a dog, and plan my morning dog walk to stop by the coffee shop. Even though I'm a cat person, I enjoy watching the dogs who stop by coffee shops on their morning walks. Well-behaved dogs, oohs and ahhs from their admirers, and hot caffeine make everyone smile. And when everyone is smiling, the world is a better place.  That's a big accomplishment for your neighborhood coffee shop. It appears small and unassuming on the outside, but inside it is very busy making people happy and more connected to friends and strangers alike.

What about you, coffee shop fans? What does your favorite coffee shop inspire you to do?

Coffee Road Trip: Fairfax, Va.

CoffeeCat nearly had a caffeine fit looking for a coffee shop open on Sunday morning in Fairfax, Va. We haven't given up and we WILL investigate! Doesn't everyone love a lazy Sunday morning like CoffeeCat does? (Don't be fooled . . . CoffeeCat enjoys lazing around a coffee shop every day of the week.)