to its proximity to campus, quality coffee and energetic atmosphere - a perfect cure for that essay angst. “CofC really helps our business,” Bell said. “It always has. We greatly appreciate it when the students come back to town because when summer rolls around, it can kind of be like a ghost town ... It’s more lively [now] - more energy in the air.” Kudu is influenced by English pub culture, says Bell. There is no wifi, something he has taken heat for over the years while standing firm in his decision. Kudu is a social scene - a place where people of all ages and walks of life gather to drink coffee and be merry. “If we had wifi,” Bell said, “do you think as many people would be talking as they are right now?” He believes not providing wifi is a good way to foster communication and interaction - people meeting people rather than people meeting screens. Bell recalls what it’s like to be a freshman in college. He strives to be more than just a coffee shop for students, but a place where they can always feel welcome. One student in particular, he remembers, came in every morning early to do homework. “Tara, who ended up working for us...I remember her coming in as a freshman in college. It’s funny to see them come in at orientation or their first week of college and then after a year or two, three, four...we’ve been able to watch people develop so much.” “I hope that we influence the students by giving them a place to come and feel like they are a part of the community, but also feel safe,” Bell said. “I remember being a freshman in college...it was one of my more insecure years ever. It’s scary. You’re in a new place and you’re moving into this grown up phase.” Bell knows the value of hiring a relational staff. It’s giving people a familiar face, he says, that makes them want to keep
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coming back. “Look around,” he says, pointing to a local chef he knows. A prominent local business man sits in the courtyard. An older couple shares a shaded table in the courtyard. “There is an interest in the craft behind the product, in the people behind the product...there are so many personalities within the food and beverage industry in this city...we have our story, just like everyone else.” Growing up, Bell never expressed an interest in owning a coffee shop. He did hang out in coffee shops, though he always found them a little too quiet. Charleston’s coffee scene can only grow from here. A community of local businesses that support one another, Charleston fosters healthy relationships between all of its independent, local businesses. Social media has played a crucial role in coffee culture growth, according to Bell. Someone today is more likely to go to the quaint local business he or she finds on Instagram before the chain with 100 half-decent ratings on Yelp. People want personal experiences, experiences unique to Charleston. Anyone can walk into a Starbucks anywhere in the world knowing what to expect from the atmosphere and the menu. That is what distinguishes independent coffee shops from chains - their independence. Coffee’s influence in society is ubiquitous. In Ray Oldenburg’s The Great Good Place, he discusses the idea of the “third place.” Third places, according to Oldenburg, play a vital role in promoting civil society, democracy and civic engagement. Beyond that, they are essential to human nature in that they help to establish a sense of place within a person. “Third places,” Oldenburg writes, “are anchors of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction.” Coffee shops are culture’s visible soul - places where everything is better and everything is safe.
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