Madison Coffee Shop

For my local shop, I chose the local coffee shop in my town of Madison, Connecticut, located on the shoreline of Connecticut, about 20 minutes away from New Haven, Connecticut, where Yale University is. This coffee shop has been around for my entire life growing up in my town, and at one point was one of the only few food or coffee options in our downtown. Last month, the shop announced that they would be shutting down due to lack of business. For the newer residents of my town, this was exciting because it was announced that there would be a new and trendier restaurant to replace it, much like the other new eating facilities that have begun popping up throughout town over the past few years. However, for the older residents such as myself and my parents, this was the end of an era, and we will greatly miss the display of each holiday in the shop windows. Over spring break, I was able to visit it for one last time before they shut down permanently. The shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day, the Santa Clause dolls around Christmas, and the stuffed animal bunnies and colorful eggs around Easter were all staples of making the downtown more vibrant and giving our little coffee shop a more signature vibe. All in all, the shutting down of this lovely establishment truly made me understand the “place” vs “placelessness” we have often discussed in urban studies, because to me this is not just a coffee shop closing down, it is part of my childhood also going away, as it is for many longtime residents of my small town.