Coffee Shops to Save the World

Put a Starbucks anywhere and people will congregate there. The human connection, the need to belong, the desire for a warm nurturing atmosphere- many find their needs met at the local coffee shop. Need to get more people into a bookstore or library? Put in a coffee shop. Need to feel connected? Go to the coffee shop.

The phenomenon of Starbucks is secular communion. Scones and coffee, after all, aren't so far removed from the ritualized consumption of grape juice and bread; they just taste better.