Coffee shops
By: J. David Chapman/June 20, 2019
I can be found most mornings in a local coffee shop in the heart of downtown Edmond. University of Central Oklahoma students needing a little tutoring, Edmond constituents that I represent as a councilman, Oklahoma real estate professionals and the public I support on the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, and anyone else that wants to visit with me know exactly where to find me most mornings. This coffee shop has a culture. This coffee shop has a community. This coffee shop is an important part of the built environment in our city. It is place.
Coffee shops emerged at different time throughout the world, extending from their origins in the Middle East. Through trade, Europe adopted this place concept quickly, and the original English cafes appeared during the 17th century and were called penny houses, reflecting the cost of coffee during this time. Penny houses gained popularity as an alternative to pubs, as a solution to the tribulations of the pub environment. Coffeehouses became commonplace in the heart of the financial district in London and played an important role as places where financial information was exchanged.
Probably the most famous coffeehouse was Edward Lloyd’s coffeehouse on Lombard Street. Lloyd’s coffeehouse became the center of the London shipping world after the owner began collecting and publishing details of ship movements from 1696. Because of the publication of this list, known as Lloyd’s List, and, out of this informal gathering of ship owners and insurers, Lloyd’s of London insurance market was born.
By 1900, continental cities around the world had hundreds of coffeehouses and they were at the heart of the creative movement and culture of the cities. London might have had high finance at its coffee shops, but Paris coffee shops are forever associated with the writers and intellectuals who frequented the establishments. The success of coffee shops throughout time can be accounted for by their profound social and cultural value.
These English penny houses began as an intellectual gathering place where members of community could discuss important matters and foster social ties. These 17th-century penny houses laid the foundation for the sociocultural function of coffee shops today contributing to social capital. We gather there and they enhance community. They are our third place after home and work.
J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).