So... what are you working on?
A dispatch from the local coffee shop on what you're about to see next...
If there’s one thing I’m known for, whether friends, family or strangers on the internet, it’s one thing: coffee. For years, I’ve worked from coffee shops in locations around the world. From New York City to San Juan to London to my current home base in Chicago. It’s the same rhythm everywhere: drip coffee with a splash of cream (stateside) or latte (international), my laptop open to “work” and the quiet hum of strangers doing their thing around me. It’s my thing. It’s my element. It’s what I love.
Over the years, I started noticing patterns amongst the strangers around me. The Elderly Regular, there everyday at 7am like clockwork. The Laptop Warrior working on something no one knows about yet. The Zoom Call T.M.I.’er, sharing more details about a secret work project to everyone around ‘em that don’t give a damn.
Every third space has its own energy, its own unspoken rules, its own cast.
I love talking to this cast of characters. I love finding what makes them tick. And the best part? People want to talk. People want to share what they’re building, why it matters, what brought them to this specific table on this specific Tuesday.
That’s Coffee Shop Convos. One question. Strangers. Third spaces. Short episodes filmed in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotel lobbies — anywhere people gather to work in public.
I’ve started to share some of the stories of unique coffee shop experiences already, check out the first two episodes…
FLAT WHITE OR F*CK OFF: The best pop up idea ever in the heart of London.
https://www.instagram.com/coffeeshop.convos/reel/DUGLnwuDHNy/
THE CHATTY CAFE SCHEME: A group of strangers meeting every week over coffee turning into friends - and a whole organization growing around the concept in the UK.
https://www.instagram.com/coffeeshop.convos/reel/DU3kavCjtN2/
New episodes and fun observations will come out on Instagram @coffeeshop.convos. Longer dispatches and insights will be here on Substack, so be sure to subscribe!
If you’ve ever worked next to a stranger and wondered what they were typing, I’m here to help you find out.
Onward!
Matt