Java Madness in Downtown Wakefield, RI

Java Madness is a coffee shop located right off the highway in downtown Wakefield, Rhode Island. The local coffee shop borders Salt Pond, a small bay area with a beautiful view during all seasons. Java Madness sells bakery items, a variety of different non-alcoholic beverages, sandwiches and salads. Students from the University of Rhode Island, and other nearby schools, often go to Java Madness in-between or after classes to get a bite to eat or have coffee with their friends. A unique aspect of Java Madness is its support for local art. The coffee shop features new artists every month, hanging their paintings around the shop and selling them for reasonable prices. Java Madness also hosts local musicians regularly throughout the summer season.

Ironically, Java Madness is located near the large commercial center of downtown Wakefield, Rhode Island. The commercial center contains big supermarket and fast food chains, such as Stop & Shop, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, and Subway. Upon learning about Java Madness, I asked myself the question: why would people come here instead of quickly going through the drive-through at Dunkin’ Donuts or stopping at Starbucks? After learning more about the small coffee shop, I discovered the answer.

When you first walk into the coffee shop, you are immediately greeted by the barista behind the counter. Most of the people in the coffee shop are local Rhode Islanders, however I noticed that many people visiting the area also go to the coffee shop to get a taste of the local culture. The groups of people I saw in the coffee shop were generally white young adults. In the back seating area of Java Madness, there are couches and tables sprawled out non-methodically, which are usually filled with pairs or groups of people talking, eating, and drinking coffee. The coffee shop is never without local artwork or music which makes it a unique experience in comparison to the generic interior of Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks. In the reading from Global Cities, Local Streets, the authors describes urbanization in Amsterdam, “… since the 1960s… the expansion of big retailers has dramatically reduced the number of traditional small groceries, butcher shops, and hardware stores” (p. 91). This type of expansion is prevalent not only in Amsterdam, but also in downtown Wakefield, where Java Madness is one of the few local coffee shops still open. The authors goes on to say, “Foreign retail chains like H&M have spread throughout the center. Supermarkets and other retail chains specializing in personal care products and inexpensive housewares are found in every part of the city” (90). This is also true with downtown Wakefield, such as seen with the construction of a commercial area down the street from Java Madness, containing Stop & Shop and other large retailers.

Morgan Bingham ’17