I came, I saw, I drank coffee. No, this uninspiring riff off of Julius Caesar’s post-victory decree isn’t coming to you from Seattle, the motherland of coffee everything; it’s wafting your way straight (well, not exactly straight) from the streets of our very own Castro, where you can now choose from a gobsmacking ten coffee shops to guzzle your daily fuel. It probably will come as no surprise, then, that a little birdy named Hoodline recently dropped the news that Artís, the Berkeley-based coffee roastery that’s currently putting the finishing touches on a new Hayes Valley location, is awaiting approval to occupy the old Body Shop location at 506 Castro Street.
Let’s take a trip down Caffeination Lane. Walking down Market Street toward Castro Street, and then heading down Castro Street to 19th Street, with a side trip down 18th Street, one can make a stop at Peet’s, Café Flore, Weaver’s Coffee and Tea, Espressamente Illy, Hearth, Castro Coffee Company, Philz, Starbucks, Réveille, and Spike’s. Am I forgetting something? Probably.
Is coffee a good thing? Sure. Is coffee a good thing in a neighborhood that currently boasts ten coffee locations within a four-block radius? Well, that depends on whether you think market oversaturation is a good thing; and last time I checked, it can create problems. Although Artís promises to offer a new take on the caffeination game, letting customers select their own beans and specify their preferred roasting level — a personalized take on small-batch roasting — any person who can do math is wondering how the new shop will fare among the bevy of other brew houses in the hood.
Of course, the Castro has been no stranger to controversy whenever a retail space becomes vacant. Remember the ill-fated Randy Rooster, the strip-club concept that sought to inhabit the former Diesel store (now set to become a SoulCycle location)? Or what about Hamburger Mary’s, which finally got approval to replace the Castro’s long-lamented graveyard (a.k.a. the former Patio Cafe)? Merchants and residents of the Castro are very protective of their sacred space, and with good reason. And, of course, everyone’s a critic when it comes to changes in the gayborhood. But one has to wonder what other types of businesses would benefit from a Castro location — or, more to the point, benefit its residents and visitors. A store that exclusively sells glitter? A costume-rental store? A nonprofit aiming to elevate the common good?
I don’t pretend to have the answers, but in the meantime, I’ll be doing an endless loop through the coffee ghetto, mourning for the businesses that could have been. Feel free to share your ideas for new Castro businesses in the comments below.
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