One of the great things about coffee shops is they attract people who like to read. Many coffee shops have a bookshelf for patrons to browse while they visit. There's usually a copy of the daily paper for anyone to enjoy. And there are games like Scrabble and Scattergories, which show that word lovers gather in these places.
So coffee shop lovers, in my book, are going to love the BookMarks Book Festival in the downtown arts district of Winston-Salem on Sept. 11. It's not just that it will be packed with best-selling authors, book-related activities for kids, workshops for aspiring writers, and places to buy books. It's also within walking distance of Chelsee's Coffee and Brew Nerds, and not much further away are Krankie's and Caffe Prada. CoffeeCat is anticipating an iced coffee drink!
Among the authors scheduled to attend is the wonderful, talented, funny, and animal-loving creator of Mutts comic strip - Patrick McDonnell. Yes, in Winston-Salem {Sept. 5 update: McDonnell has posted on his blog about the festival}! I recently subscribed to the Daily Mutts by e-mail so that at least once a day, I'll have an e-mail that makes me smile!
For coffee shop fans anywhere in the Triad, BookMarks is worth the drive to Winston-Salem and can double as a Coffee Road Trip. Fans, tell me who you can't wait to see at BookMarks!
Showing posts with label Brew Nerds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brew Nerds. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
So many coffee shops . . .
so little time to savor them all. Readers of Smitty's Notes named these The Best of Winston-Salem 2010:
Winner: Krankie’s
Runner Up: Brew Nerds
Honorable Mention: Cafe Roche
As you know, CoffeeCat likes 'em all, but each for a different reason (refer to July 30 post).
Smittyheads, you have 1 year to try all the coffee shops in the twin cities so you can be an informed voter in 2011. In the meantime, keep coming back to Triad Coffee Shops & tell us about 'em.
And if you live in W-S and don't subscribe to Smitty's Notes, why on earth not?
Winner: Krankie’s
Runner Up: Brew Nerds
Honorable Mention: Cafe Roche
As you know, CoffeeCat likes 'em all, but each for a different reason (refer to July 30 post).
Smittyheads, you have 1 year to try all the coffee shops in the twin cities so you can be an informed voter in 2011. In the meantime, keep coming back to Triad Coffee Shops & tell us about 'em.
And if you live in W-S and don't subscribe to Smitty's Notes, why on earth not?
Friday, July 30, 2010
Discovering the coffee shop
I first discovered coffee shops when I moved to Winston-Salem in 1993. Suddenly, I learned that coffee wasn’t just for mornings. My sister, friends and I enjoyed poetry slams at the Horse’s Mouth in the heart of downtown and listened to up-and-coming bands at Morning Dew on Burke Street in the West End. Tate Street Coffee in Greensboro was an attraction where we took our out-of-town friends. In coffee houses we found the opposite of the smoke-filled, strobe-lighted, eardrum-bursting nightclubs that were “the” night life for college students. At the coffee house, everyone could get a grown-up yet non-alcoholic drink, stick to a tight budget, and hear the conversation.
More than a decade later, as a graduate student, I rediscovered coffee houses in the Triad. I appreciated calm but busy coffee houses like Café Roché in Winston-Salem and The Coffee Break in Greensboro. They provide a great place for coffee and reading by day, and conversation with friends by night. I’ve also discovered that coffee shops are much more than a place to gather for lattes and chai. New shops such as Krankie’s, Brew Nerds, and Chelsee’s, all in Winston-Salem, are putting a new spin on coffee shops and welcoming new concepts and new customers of all ages.
Winston-Salem’s Brew Nerds on Hanes Mall Blvd. is a glass, brightly-lit, ultra modern hot spot for Wii tournaments and trivia contests. The owners of Krankie’s transformed an old warehouse into an arts and entertainment destination where customers can watch documentary films, shop at a weekly farmers market, and visit nearby galleries and shops also housed in what they now call “The Wherehouse.” Krankie’s customers give it props as a good place to drink a glass of wine on Saturday night and read the newspaper over coffee on a Sunday morning. Some Saturday nights you can find gospel concerts at Juicy Java in Kernersville. iCoffee in Summerfield offers bluegrass music some nights and a gathering spot after Friday night football games.
The desire for good coffee and a place to enjoy it is universal. Coffee shops are great places to drink tea, smoothies, and even beer. And since people come to coffee shops for different reasons, you can be sure there’s a place and a time for any of them. To write your great novel, most coffee shops would be the perfect place on a Sunday morning or a Saturday afternoon. To meet new people, try Friday night art openings, concerts almost any night of the week, or Saturday mornings while walking your dog. To enjoy the literary arts, there are poetry slams, book signings, and scrabble tournaments.
In this blog, I’ll tell you about upcoming events at Triad coffee shops. Want me to visit your favorite coffee shop? Want to promote an event? Let me know about it.
More than a decade later, as a graduate student, I rediscovered coffee houses in the Triad. I appreciated calm but busy coffee houses like Café Roché in Winston-Salem and The Coffee Break in Greensboro. They provide a great place for coffee and reading by day, and conversation with friends by night. I’ve also discovered that coffee shops are much more than a place to gather for lattes and chai. New shops such as Krankie’s, Brew Nerds, and Chelsee’s, all in Winston-Salem, are putting a new spin on coffee shops and welcoming new concepts and new customers of all ages.
Winston-Salem’s Brew Nerds on Hanes Mall Blvd. is a glass, brightly-lit, ultra modern hot spot for Wii tournaments and trivia contests. The owners of Krankie’s transformed an old warehouse into an arts and entertainment destination where customers can watch documentary films, shop at a weekly farmers market, and visit nearby galleries and shops also housed in what they now call “The Wherehouse.” Krankie’s customers give it props as a good place to drink a glass of wine on Saturday night and read the newspaper over coffee on a Sunday morning. Some Saturday nights you can find gospel concerts at Juicy Java in Kernersville. iCoffee in Summerfield offers bluegrass music some nights and a gathering spot after Friday night football games.
The desire for good coffee and a place to enjoy it is universal. Coffee shops are great places to drink tea, smoothies, and even beer. And since people come to coffee shops for different reasons, you can be sure there’s a place and a time for any of them. To write your great novel, most coffee shops would be the perfect place on a Sunday morning or a Saturday afternoon. To meet new people, try Friday night art openings, concerts almost any night of the week, or Saturday mornings while walking your dog. To enjoy the literary arts, there are poetry slams, book signings, and scrabble tournaments.
In this blog, I’ll tell you about upcoming events at Triad coffee shops. Want me to visit your favorite coffee shop? Want to promote an event? Let me know about it.
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