Coffee, please.

I have a lot of visitors to Arden from the old country, in my case  Lancaster County, PA. They are intrigued by my stories of Arden. But what to do once they come? There isn't a whole lot to do here except walk around, show them the Buzz, the Gild Hall, the Green. Maybe take a stroll in the woods. Unless my friends visit for a certain event, like the Arden Fair or Shakespeare, there isn't much here to do.

"Pick out a cute little lunch place for us to go," my one friend said.

"Uh--"

It isn't that Northern Wilmington doesn't have such spots, it is just that we don't have such things in the Ardens. You would think we would have something. A little coffee shop? A speakeasy in the basement of the Candlelight Dinner Theater. Oh, yeah, Ardentown does have a dinner theater. But I've asked around. I haven't found anybody who lives in the villages who frequents the dinner theater. Maybe it is just those in our circle of friends who don't. We went to the Candlelight to see Footloose the first weekend we stayed in Arden in 2009 (like I said, there isn't a whole lot to do), but we have not been back since then.

I heard a few people say that they would like to open a little coffee shop/cafe in the Buzz or the Gild Hall or even in the only commercial building in Arden which is currently home to Wally's World Resale Shop. Any of the three locations would be very convenient to our house. I was also personally campaigning for Jonah to to go into business for himself by buying a food truck when it was decided that he wasn't going back to college. He went so far as to research the regulations.

We could use something like a coffee shop here if only so I can play out my Hemmingway-writing-in-a-cafe fantasy. I've tried. When I get blocked, I change out of my bathrobe and take my laptop to the Starbucks--a mile a way--to write. It isn't quite the same as a cafe in Paris. Across from Starbucks in the Branmar Shopping Center is another coffee shop, Brew-Ha-Ha, part of a local chain. If you go to either coffee shop in the early morning hours, you will find regulars from Arden sitting around. People are loyal to their shop. I know the argument for supporting the local place,  but I am in the Starbucks camp. Maybe it is because I was one of the few Americans who didn't have a Starbucks in a five-mile radius. The closest one to Reinholds when we lived there was eight miles away. After years of complaining, I have to take advantage of my proximity. Or maybe it is because Mark and I took a pilgrimage to the original Starbucks in Seattle. Starbucks has the better coffee of the two, in my opinion. Brew-Ha-Ha has better breakfast fare, by far. Their Florentine sandwich is decadent: egg, spinach, red pepper mango chutney on a chive cheddar biscuit. But I am usually just looking for the cup of coffee, not the whole breakfast experience. Grande Dark roast, room for cream or if I don't particularly trust that Starbuck's dark roast is going to be bold enough for me (usually when there is a major holiday in the title like Thanksgiving Blend), I go for a Caffe Americano.

I am a gold card member at Starbucks which means I get free refills if I stay there long enough. One cup of grande is enough caffeine intake for me, so I always have to resort to decaf on the second cup.  I can't help but overhear the retirees, seemingly always men, and I resist making eye contact with the business women with laptops who are actually trying to work. I go until I use up all my free wi-fi or the battery dies on my computer. Then it is time to take my novel home. The change of venue is sometimes helpful.

Recently my best friend from high school opened up a coffee shop, Wish Cafe and Herb Shop, in our home town of Lititz. I am so sad that I can't frequent that shop. I would have my own reserved table. I did get to sample her coffees before she opened, and I had the best coffee I have ever had outside of Europe. Double espresso. She must have pulled the two shots extra long because when I ordered the same drink at Starbucks hoping to replicate the experience, all I got this sad little swallow at the bottom of the cup.  And Heather has a great menu at her new place--all freshly made with local ingredients. It should be. In addition to the cafe, the woman owns a farm. I told her she needs to perfect her brand, and then I will help her open a shop down here. A sister location. I don't want to change Arden, don't want to open it up to all sorts of commercial enterprise, but if I could add just one thing, it would be this.