One of my local coffee joints in London seems to have fallen on hard times (I can’t help but feel responsible — they seemed to be doing fine before I left the country).
The one I frequented by Oxford Circus has closed. The one is this photo by Chancery Lane was closed at 6 PM on a weekday, which may not mean that it’s gone out of business.
I’ve noticed that coffee shops in London keep business hours, unlike the US. Coffee seems to be a day drink, rather than an evening activity. Pubs are tough competition I suppose.
And yet, Starbucks is still pulling in huge traffic. I stood in this epic line at a store by Chancery Lane at 10:30 AM on a weekday — that’s not even rush hour.
And the two Starbucks stores right by Oxford Circus always seemed to be mobbed. So why did my old favorite Coffee Republic close?
Friends have told me that the staff from the shuttered Coffee Republic have found employment at a nearby coffee store, which I was glad to hear.
Coffee Republic’s slogan, “In Coffee We Trust,” seems to be serving them well.
Reverse Culture Shock 