Yesterday's mail brought my new issue of Vermont Life. Sure–it's a glossy mix of
nostalgia and propaganda, but I always relish it. I also happen to think that
Vermont is one of the few islands of sanity left in what's left of the United States.
One small story caught my eye: August First, a small café in
Burlington's south end decided to turn off the WiFi and ban laptops. Imagine
the radicalism of such a move. Why the unmitigated gall of owners Jodi Whalen
and Phil Merrick–expecting people to use their tables to consume food and
converse instead as their own personal office space.
It was a risk in today's
it's-all-about-me-and-it-should-be-free society. A risk, but a calculated one.
How often have you walked out a café or restaurant in which there were no
tables because about 75% of them were filled by a single pretentious hipster
with a laptop and one cup of tepid coffee he had been nursing for the past
three hours? It happened too often for Whalen and Merrick, a husband-wife team
who actually have to make a living selling cups of Joe, pastries, and
sandwiches. And guess what? When August First turned off the wireless, its
sales went up by a whopping 20% in the first year. I've not been there, so
maybe that's because they make really
good muffins, but I think it had a lot to do with reclaiming the café as a
public space instead of a private wombs for the wired and selfish.
I applaud August First and I sincerely hope this is the
beginning of a trend. Many's the time I've walked out of a local favorite,
Woodstar Café, upon seeing a laptopper per table. I can't tell you how many
times I've wanted to scream, "Get a room, ya' cheapskate
@$#&*%^s."
You can bet that I'll be at August First my next trip to
Burlington. For those living nearby, please support Whalen and Merrick. August
First is located at 149 South Champlain Street, open Monday to Friday from 7:30
am to 5 pm and Saturday from 8 am to 3 pm. Here's the menu:
Hooray for August First! Cafés of the world unite; you've
only your freeloaders to lose.
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