The Second Fret

Yesterday after a visit to "Sally's" (Salvation Army), I dropped by a new business in downtown, a coffeehouse/music hall called "The Second Fret." I'd read about it in the local paper, and was interested.

In small-city America, we really don't have nice places to go to have something to drink, sit with a friend or spouse, and talk. If we go to restaurants, we are expected to buy meals, spend $35 and leave when the last forkful is gone. We're there to eat, and please clear out of our tables so the next eaters can have a seat. No fun.

The other option is bars, which is also no fun: sleazy, smokey. Well, you know. Not the kind of place I want to hang out. However, a person can go there just to drink. And drink...

Europe has coffeehouses. Why don't we? Starbucks has made a splash, but it's so industrial. I was excited to see this little locally-owned business. It's clean, family-friendly. I love the cozy reading area in the back. That's where Adam and I sat last night. I leafed through an anthology of modern poetry (and found some interesting stuff, I'll add!), and Adam read a dab in a book on Korea. A guy on guitar was playing to an audience in the next room. We saw a family from the school, with their 2 middle schoolers in tow. 2 men behind us debated over a chess board.

Adam was still recovering from his dunking booth experience, so he was achy and tired, and we didn't stay as long as we might have. But I hope we go back. The only difficulty with THAT, is that we've made our living room just about the most cozy, inviting place in town for us, and it's hard to leave :) Besides, we still haven't finished the last portion of the Alexander the Great documentary we're watching. Perhaps tonight.