Cafes and the Social Infrastructure of Saint Paul

Free with my college tuition came a raging caffeine addiction. In pursuit of satisfying this craving (and for the simple joy of drinking interesting coffees), I have patronized most of the cafes in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. While doing so, I have observed social goings-on and the delicate sociological dances taking place; the groups which form and break up, the lovers young and old who meet, the friends deep in discussion, the solitary folks typing away at computers and spreadsheets. Because of this, I have come to deeply believe that cafés are essential as places of social connection, and broader community health – that they can act as intergenerational mixing pots, places to draw in people and mix them into a social milieu, and as vital places to help (especially young) people develop connections to their existing friends and broader community.

First, though, a comment on the phenomenon of “social infrastructure.” This has been a topic gathering attention in the past few years, catalyzed by Klinenberg in his 2018 book Palaces for the People. Social infrastructure are simply spaces within neighborhoods which facilitate gathering. Libraries are an excellent example of social infrastructure, institutions literally created to gather people around books and learning. Public parks and community gardens are another example, as long as they are well-maintained and have a critical mass of folks (‘eyes on the street’ in Jacobian terms). Social infrastructure is necessarily democratic and inclusive, that is, it is non-discriminatory and invites all neighborhood-residents. It can vary, though, depending on culture and local practices – barber shops, for instance, are vital pieces of social infrastructure within Black communities because of their cultural history and associations. Robust pieces of social infrastructure also tend to attract and foment relationships among an intergenerational crowd and is notable in its ability to do so. Although friendships between young and old folks are healthy for communities and indeed essential for creating a unified body politic, nowadays they are heavily neglected as people retreat into social media bubbles and stop attending typical intergenerational mainstays such as places of worship. Social infrastructure, at its core, creates communities, and intergenerational communities are those perhaps most lacking (and necessary) in our modern era.

Social infrastructure plays the vital role of creating social cohesion and proliferating social capital. When people are provided with places to go and meet others, they naturally improve their own social lives and thereby the community’s; however, denying these places leads to social atrophy and decay. Furthermore, the importance of strong social networks on community and personal outcomes cannot be overstated. It has been shown to reduce crime rates, improve access to job opportunities, improve educational achievement, and improve the health of democracy. Our entire society, and indeed our personal achievement, rests upon social infrastructure – the humble libraries and parks and shops which foment interaction and community.

Cafes are well-placed to become pieces of social infrastructure. They do not demand a prohibitive cost to patronize – in most cafes, you can purchase a $3 cup of coffee and stay as long as you wish. They also have strong, broad-based appeal, providing an essential service for the 90% of adults who depend on caffeine, and the 52% of adults who drink coffee daily. Although cafes have a reputation for being yuppie enclaves and vanguards of gentrification, they also have great potential to be unifiers around a universal activity and substance. And as it turns out, caffeine in and of itself is a positive influence on socialization and friendship. Caffeine sharpens the mind, reduces drowsiness, and improves sociability, thereby improving the quality and quantity of conversations. This is more pronounced among those who have dependence on the drug, meaning that for the 90% of caffeine-dependent population, caffeine can completely change one’s affect – and willingness to build relationships. Although not everyone consumes caffeine in the coffeehouse, for those who depend on it, the social effects are striking. To use a crass analogy, cafes can be interpreted as modern smoking lounges; collectors of eclectic and diverse populations around relaxation and a shared psychoactive drug.

So cafés are poised to be great places of social infrastructure in general. But what about the specific cases? In this essay, I would like to explore the specific ways that cafes bring Saint Paulites together, through three case studies – the intergenerational space of Dunn Brothers on Grand, ‘third place’ represented by JS Bean Factory, and the young person haunt of Quixotic Coffee.

Dunn Bros, situated kitty-corner with Macalester College, is far and away my most patronized café. Its proximity makes it easy to patronize frequently, and in this I am far from alone; the shop is perpetually full of students, be they socializing or frantically catching up on work. In its heritage and aesthetic, Dunn Bros is a relic of the 80s, a veritable institution of the neighborhood, and so draws a sizeable demographic of old-timers along with its student clientele. Thus, the shop provides an unparalleled space for fomenting intergenerational connections, as students mingle with the elderly. This cross-communication of students and folks deeply rooted in the community indeed helps ‘town-gown’ tensions, known locally as the ‘Macalester Bubble.’ As has happened in many other college communities, Mac students tend to isolate themselves in their lecture halls and dorms and cliques, while the community is shut out and relegated to their own spaces. The Mac Bubble encloses the campus and creates an elite, segregated community within the community which is bad from the perspective of social cohesion. Dunn Bros is the one exception to this rule, a David before a sociological Goliath, creating intergenerational connections and helping people fight against the Macalester Bubble.

An anecdote could well illustrate this social-infrastructural effect of Dunn Bros. One day last year I was typing away on some assignment, and an older gentleman[1] (for anonymity, Mr. J) approached me and struck up a conversation. We got to chatting and ended up talking for a long while about our mutual interest in philosophy, as well as the neighborhood change which has happened over time. This was my first friendship outside of the Macalester cohort, and it spurred me to talk to other people of different generations, aiding tremendously with networking and the activism which I do. I am still good friends with Mr. J, and see him occasionally in Dunn Bros. More broadly, this gave me a personable face to attach to the broader community, and an introduction to perspectives beyond those of upper-middle-class liberal arts students. This phenomenon, multiplied across the hundreds of students who patronize Dunn and the hundreds of chance encounters which take place, supports the idea that Dunn Bros unifies a diverse set of people. It eases town-gown tensions and plays an important role in community development by creating a more cohesive whole.

In our increasingly polarized world, we are losing places which can serve as intergenerational mediators. People are segregating into their own echo chambers, and neglecting the diverse ties which are necessary for a functional democracy and healthy communities. Cafes such as Dunn Bros are well-placed to become that which we have lost – to pull people together and introduce them to ways of life, and perspectives which they would not have otherwise.

Not every café, though, embodies this dynamic melting pot of Dunn Bros. Many, rather, are symbolic of ‘third places;’ spaces where friends can frequent and build communities through chance encounters. Case in point, JS Bean Factory. This shop is an eclectic one, with hippie-style decorations and accoutrements cluttering the patio and interior. The social patterns also reflect this laid-back vibe. The baristas have deep roots in the shop; the same employees are there every week, and presumably have been for a long while. Even though the Sunday lines are eternally long, they still make time to chat with customers; updates on drama, or how people’s careers are moving along, or how they are enjoying the glorious sunny weather. The café’s general social atmosphere matches that of the coffee-making station. Many people are solitarily working and reading, but as many people sit and chat with friends, laptops and books open but long-forgotten. All of this creates a milieu of community-building, a forge for the friendships of the patrons, and an experience which is replicated in few other places.

Just as we have lost places such as Dunn Bros, we have also lost places such as JS Bean Factory. The pressures of capitalism and tech have pushed spaces to be more exclusive, and people further into their homes. These low-cost spaces in which to exist and socialize are dying out under the competitive pressure of higher-profit establishments. Attracting people to stay and linger is economically inefficient when one can extract more profit out of an atomizing ‘grab and go’ model. Places get pricier and less sociable, which changes individual-level choices. Why stop by Starbucks and pay $5 for a disappointing coffee, when one can stay at home and relax with Tik Tok or Instagram? When these changes in incentives are multiplied across the population, it is little surprise that we are becoming more isolated and lonely, communities crumbling as we become hermits.

Quixotic Coffee, a hip coffee bar at the intersection of Ford and Cleveland, provides another example of how cafes can act as social infrastructure – not being inclusive per say, but catering to a specific demographic. Quixotic is for the young and moneyed, in contrast with JS Bean and Dunn whose clientele contains older and less affluent contingents. The design of the shop and its faux-industrial aesthetic supports this notion – with exposed HVAC, wooden tables and chairs, and stools made of elegantly twisted pipes. Quixotic has an aesthetic which would not be out of place in Prospect Park, and indeed can be seen in hundreds of other coffee shops around the nation. It is minimalist, bright, and productivity-oriented (lots of single spaces at bars and small booths). It is a café of the modern era (with all of the social patterns thereof), as opposed to the relics of JS Bean and Dunn.

Part of the reason that Quixotic tries to appeal to Gen Z and Millennials is its location near centers of young population – the new Ford site development, as well as three colleges (Saint Thomas, Saint Catherine, and Macalester). As with the age range of its clientele, the shop has a markedly different culture than Dunn or JS Bean. Far more people come intentioned rather than spontaneously, in groups to fulfill chats and hangouts which were partitioned on a Google Calendar. The coffee bar is constantly busy, and the baristas move at a fast clip, satisfying the younger folks who prefer fast service over casual conversation. It must be said, though, that their coffee is of the highest quality, demonstrating another aspect of the generational preference shift. Where we devalue spontaneity and the broader experience of dining, we shift our preferences towards the literal quality of the beverage we are drinking. Quixotic also has a far larger proportion of people sitting and working at laptops, although it is interesting to note that more often than in other places, people share tables while working. Perhaps indicative of the college-age patrons, this might also be indicative of generational trends and preferences hinted at above. Gen Z, and especially young professional Zoomers, have a strong preference for work and finding community therein.

Quixotic, and the hustle-culture it supports, largely represents the social infrastructure of the millennials and younger. As much as one might bemoan the lack of spontaneity, it is still a place for interaction and socialization – the exact functions of social infrastructure. People sit and talk and work together who might have otherwise been isolated, and this effect is certainly commendable.  

Coffee shops are far from the most important pieces of social infrastructure. Libraries, community centers, and places of worship are still more influential as community touchstones and places to meet others. However, these kinds of places are all declining in a vicious cycle, by which existing isolation leads to disengagement, which leads to social infrastructure declining, which causes further loneliness. Going forward, we need a new type of social infrastructure for the modern age, and coffee shops provide a good model for the demands levied by circumstance. Millennials and Generation Z demand places to work and feel productive, we must accommodate that in our social infrastructure. We also need to create places for people to create intergenerational connections and exist with friends – another purpose served well by the humble café. And older folks need places to break out of the deadly isolation of age. And everyone demands caffeine – who are we to deny them?

Adam Schwalbe

Macalester College, 2024

*all photos courtesy Yelp

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[1] This person requested me, in this article, to call them ‘the old fucker’