Coffee shop dreams

Twenty years ago, I had a dream. I was living in Louisville, Kentucky at the time, not far from the University of Louisville, in an area of town that was on the verge of urban renewal. In my dream, I opened up a coffee and tea shop called Jumpin' Beanz in a very cheap building near the university campus. It became a happenin' kind of place where students and profs and community people would hang out, drink coffee, and eat my wonderful baked goods. We'd have poetry readings and live indie music and everybody wanted to be seen there.

The ironic thing is, I probably could have had this place at that time, and it probably would have done well. At the time, there was nothing else like it in Louisville. Bloomington (Indiana University) had The Daily Grind and the Runcible Spoon; Lexington (University of Kentucky) had Common Grounds. My Jumpin' Beanz could have gone over well, I'm sure. At least until the major Seattle chain came to town. But . . . at the time, I didn't know about things like business plans and small business loans. So the dream remained a dream for me.

Instead, I became a customer of other people's coffee shops. Living in Vienna last year made me really picky about coffee, and I'm happy to say that I've FINALLY found a place here in Indy where I can get some good coffee. Bjava Coffee and Tea is run by the famous "Bj" who used to run the coffee shop at the corporate center where I work. Her shop is located at 56th and Lafayette, so if you're every nearby, please give it a try. Bjava's got excellent food, too - even vegetarian options - for breakfast and lunch everyday, Monday through Saturday (closed on Sunday). Bj roasts her own coffee a couple of times a week and is happy to share her vast knowledge of The Bean. I always learn something whenever I visit!

I just wrote this entry while sitting at Bjava and enjoying the free wireless internet connection, while sipping a very nice "honey bee soy latte" and eating a ham, cheese and egg breakfast sandwich. It doesn't get any better than this in Indianapolis.

Check it out, and tell Bj I sent you. :-)