Probably stimulated from having read a recent blurb that a Stumptown roast was voted by Seattleites its best coffee, we returned to Stumptown’s original site on Division.  And we, reminded of the irony that despite our Sunday biking group’s focus over the past six years of visiting 140+ independent shops in part to experience/report on their ambiance for hanging out, this particular site – which helped birth a revolution – isn’t a particularly good one for hanging because of its limited size.

Moreover, we also recognize that – with Stumptown now part of a corporation that has allowed it to open shops in L.A., New Orleans, and NYC as well as Seattle & PDX – it probably does not fit into the “independently-owned” category; still we’ve enjoyed our visits to its outlets around town, and are proud of its recent recognition in Seattle.  (You can call us shallow.)

Today’s check-in discussion included: C detailing how his wife K’s recent “outpatient” surgery on her broken metatarsals took 4 hours, twice as long as predicted, and the house projects on his plate in Denver and Portland; how A juggles teaching in Corvallis 2-3 days a week with family responsibilities; and our election doubts whether the upcoming housing levy is large enough to make a significant dent in the city’s needs for homeless and affordable housing, and our lack of understanding whether the proposed  gross receipts tax replaces existing revenue or is additional.

4525 SE Division    http://stumptowncoffee.com/location/division/