felt like i was sitting, uninvited, in someone's living room.... you may need to take into consideration that this review follows a visit to this popular okc coffee hangout for the first time on a saturday morning at 11:30.
i'm not going to give a comprehensive review the coffee (i'm not an fan of elemental coffee -- too grassy tasting and light for me) or the cupcakes (good, but nothing special -- had the vanilla sky... cake was a bit rubbery and had the consistency of cornbread, frosting was sweet and a bit grainy, but tasted good).
i'm mainly reviewing the atmosphere. thing is, the place is popular. the electic furniture is well-placed, and lends itself to parties of one or two, quiet reading, studying or quiet conversation. the only spots available when i arrived were two side chairs across from a sofa that was occupied. i begrudgingly took one of the side chairs, which was comfortable, and attempted to avoid eye contact with the couple sitting across from me. i felt like i was invading someone's living room. clearly, this was a spot for a larger party, but i didn't have a choice. they left, and a single person quickly nabbed the sofa, kitty-corner from me. the side chair to my left remained empty for a while.
about half an hour into my visit, a group of about six people came in. they stood right behind me (within 2 feet), obviously catching up after having not seen each other for a while. they were loud. i pushed my earbuds in more firmly, and turned up the volume to attempt to drown them out. (i should bring up the music choice, now. i'm a fan of unobtrusive music in my coffee shops: quiet jazz, indie, classical, etc... genre doesn't matter, but it shouldn't be too loud. the music was loud, country-ish, and loud. did i mention it was loud?)
the group got larger as time went on, and soon there was a line from the counter to almost the door of chattering guests -- to a baby shower. sigh... they have a back room, apparently, which accommodates larger groups. thing is, it almost seemed like there were two parties happening, one planned, and one, perhaps not booked. three times, people literally hoisted their leg over the chair next to me, and squeezed between my chair and the other one, to get through. come on, people!!!!! that's just beyond rude. give me some personal space.
while i can not fault the management for the behavior of the patrons, i can say that they have really done nothing to encourage a calm, quiet, coffee experience.
and oh yeah... i'm tired of hipsters badmouthing starbucks... i had to listen in (had no way to avoid hearing) a group of patrons extolling the superiority of the coffee experience at cuppies. now, i know it is currently hip to badmouth starbucks, and be generally anti all things green mermaid, and i adore independent coffee shops, but at least i don't have people climbing over me at starbucks, and i don't feel like i'm sitting uninvited in someone's living room.