Farleys Coffee on 18th Street


Reading Why the Starbucks “15th Ave” Store Is Doomed to Fail on HBR in which Peter Merholz talks about the dishonestly behind a new concept coffee shop called 15th Ave, that tried to capture the lost magic of Starbucks.

My favorite San Francisco coffeehouse, Farley’s, which is amateurish (and I mean that by its Latin root: done for the love) and personal. Faking it is not a good strategy in bed or in retail. Perhaps my biggest beef with 15th Ave is that it’s fundamentally dishonest. Everyone knows it’s run by Starbucks, but the website and the store do all they can to suggest it’s a true independent (though the high level of interior design suggests a bankroll out of the reach of most entrepreneurs).

Photo credit – Flickr

Grid/Plane in Portland

Having lunch today with David DeCheser, loving his tip on grid/plane studio:

JD Hooge founded Gridplane to help clients bring their stories to life. Gridplane specializes in unifying practical user interaction with engaging design to craft unique experiences.

Over the past 10 years, JD has assembled a diverse portfolio of creative work for cultural institutions and companies large and small. Past clients include XBOX, Google, Sony, MTV, Helio, Nike, Starbucks, and Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts.