Coffee Shop

Coffee is the fuel of the modern world. When Europeans began drinking less ale and more caffeinated beverages in the 17th century, and talking about ideas rather than just seeking a break from manual labor, the Age of Enlightenment was born. Today, in many American cities, there are coffee shops on every corner, whether they're independent cafes or Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks. Amid all the business and institutional models that are changing in the face of our growing ability to do everything online, the coffee shop alone seems secure: an irreplaceable gathering place full of...

A Boston-area coffee shop chain known for its attractive young female servers is under investigation by federal authorities for possible employment discrimination. Executives for the 29-store Marylou's chain call the probe by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission a "witch hunt," and that the workers the chain hires are based on the applicant pool, most of whom tend to be younger women. The Boston Herald ( http://bit.ly/KhDYQL) reports that the EEOC has been reviewing Marylou's job applications, interviewing company officials and questioning the chain's workers, who are...

Charlie Weisman's office situation was less than ideal. Actually, it was nonexistent. The founder of a New York arts organization, Weisman moved to Boston four months ago and spent most of his time working out of coffee shops. Great for the free wireless Internet connection and endless caffeine, not so great for printing documents or holding client meetings. "A coffee shop has its positives and negatives, but if you're trying to be professional, it just doesn't work," Weisman laments.

Police in southwest Idaho say a man chose briefs over boxers to wear on his head as he held up a coffee shop and stole a safe. Coffee shop owner Jason Wilson tells the Idaho Statesman says he believes the man was likely not prepared when he entered Big Star Coffee in Fruitland with an accomplice on Tuesday morning. Wilson asked: "Who robs something with underwear on their head?" Investigators say the two burglars made off with about $500 in cash that was inside the safe.

Redeye Roasters Café & Espresso Lounge 3 Otis St. (Route 3A), Hingham Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. 781-740-2545; www.redeyeroasters.com Accessible to the handicapped Major credit cards accepted Say it's a clear, sunny day. Or a cold one with light snow falling. Hey, it could be raining or blowing a gale, it doesn't matter: The water views from Hingham's new Redeye Roasters Café & Espresso Lounge are beautiful.

For law enforcement officials, the case of a fire set at a coffee shop where topless waitresses worked ended with an arson conviction. But the man who operated the business says there's no closure for him. Donald Crabtree told the Kennebec Journal ( http://bit.ly/AcBw2H) that he'll always wonder if police got the right man. The night before the fire on June 3, 2009, Crabtree asked the Vassalboro Planning Board to allow him to turn the coffee shop into a strip club. Crabtree says he's uneasy because of the timing of the fire and the defense claim that police declined to investigate...

A Maine man has been found guilty of arson in a 2009 fire that destroyed a topless coffee shop. A jury convicted Raymond Bellavance Jr. on Friday after deliberating for more than four hours. Prosecutors said "anger and jealousy" caused Bellavance to set fire to the coffee shop where his ex-girlfriend worked, but the defense insisted he didn't do it. The Bangor Daily News ( http://bit.ly/rTZi3L) reports that Deputy District Attorney Alan Kelley told jurors that Bellavance was "a volatile man" who was quick to anger because his former girlfriend was having a relationship with...

thinkingcup, a coffee shop opened in late 2010 near the Boston Common, which serves Stumptown roast , and has been recognized by people who make "best" lists, has received another honor. This one comes from  Krups, who called for a public vote on its facebook page. I am always a little suspicious of these industry-related awards -- and for this one in particular, it would be so easy to stuff the ballot box -- but thinkingcup is very well regarded . Stumptown coffee comes from their Brooklyn roasting site the day after it's roasted and there are good sweet and savory items...

CARIBOU, Maine -- A 19-year-old coffee shop employee tried to strangle his supervisor and kicked her in the head, mouth, and chest, then served customers while she died of injuries in the bathroom, according to an affidavit released yesterday. Christopher Shumway told Maine State Police detectives that he killed Erin Sperrey and provided details, some of which were included in the affidavit released in conjunction with his initial court appearance on a murder charge. The killing took place Sunday night while Shumway, of Caribou, and Sperrey, 20, of Presque...

BANGOR -- The slaying of a coffee shop employee in Caribou will probably be used by businesses and state agencies to examine whether there were any warning signs and whether the victim's death could have been prevented. Police have arrested a co-worker and charged him in the death of Erin Sperrey. If her assailant is convicted, Sperrey would become the first person to have been murdered by a co-worker in Maine in at least 12 years. Compared with other states, Maine has few on-the-job homicides.

A man convicted of setting a Maine topless coffee shop on fire, destroying the business and endangering seven people, is going to prison for 30 years. Fifty-one-year-old Raymond Bellavance Jr. didn't speak at his sentencing on Thursday. He has maintained his innocence and contends he was railroaded. Prosecutors say he set the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro on fire because his former girlfriend was having a relationship with the owner of the business, where topless waitresses worked.

A Maine man convicted of setting a topless coffee shop afire, destroying the business and endangering seven people, is going to prison for 30 years. Fifty-one-year-old Raymond Bellavance Jr. did not speak at his sentencing Thursday. He has maintained his innocence and contends he was railroaded. Prosecutors say he set the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro on fire because his former girlfriend was having a relationship with the owner. Judge Michaela Murphy said she imposed the maximum sentence under state law because it was "sheer luck" that no one was killed,...

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent It's become a staple to many city cafés seeking to lure students and professionals, but wireless Internet won't be served at lunch any longer at Cambridge's Dwelltime. Jaime van Schyndel, owner of the café at 364 Broadway, said that beginning today, the café will shut off its free wireless Internet service to customers between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The small café with 20 seats can't afford to have too many people lingering on their laptops while other paying customers can't find a seat, he said.

The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation will be on hand to mark the expansion of commuter rail service to North Kingstown. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (CHAY'-fee) and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed plan to celebrate the opening of the new Wickford Junction commuter rail station on Monday. Trains will run Monday through Friday from Wickford north to Warwick, Providence and Boston on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Providence-Stoughton line.

From the South End to the South Shore, serious coffee is suddenly swirling through Boston. "Three years ago, there was one shop in town doing anything progressive. Now there are a dozen," says Jamie van Schyndel, general manager of Barismo, a small-batch roaster in Arlington that supplies beans to a handful of local cafes. Thinking Cup, Render Coffee, and Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. are part of a new breed of coffeehouse that's dedicated to coffee's complex flavors, its origins, and, of course, its preparation, joining the very few stalwarts like Simon's Coffee Shop in Cambridge, which...

The novel 50 Shades of Grey is the new "mommy porn" sensation, the dark literary secret of every yummy mummy dressed in Lululemon, apparently. And surely the Kindle is at least somewhat to thank for this, as the mommies can lock down the salacious secrets from their kids -- and perhaps more importantly, not be embarrassed by the book cover peeping out of her yoga bag.  Over centuries, a whole subgenre of jokes evolved about people trying to hide what they are reading, from acolytes slipping forbidden texts into the Bible's pages to schoolboys putting comics inside their...

A Maine man convicted of setting a topless coffee shop afire, destroying the business and endangering seven people, is going to prison for 30 years. Fifty-one-year-old Raymond Bellavance Jr. did not speak at his sentencing Thursday. He has maintained his innocence and contends he was railroaded. Prosecutors say he set the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro on fire because his former girlfriend was having a relationship with the owner. Judge Michaela Murphy said she imposed the maximum sentence under state law because it was "sheer luck" that no one was killed,...

A man convicted of setting a Maine topless coffee shop on fire, destroying the business and endangering seven people, is going to prison for 30 years. Fifty-one-year-old Raymond Bellavance Jr. didn't speak at his sentencing on Thursday. He has maintained his innocence and contends he was railroaded. Prosecutors say he set the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro on fire because his former girlfriend was having a relationship with the owner of the business, where topless waitresses worked.

thinkingcup, a coffee shop opened in late 2010 near the Boston Common, which serves Stumptown roast , and has been recognized by people who make "best" lists, has received another honor. This one comes from  Krups, who called for a public vote on its facebook page. I am always a little suspicious of these industry-related awards -- and for this one in particular, it would be so easy to stuff the ballot box -- but thinkingcup is very well regarded . Stumptown coffee comes from their Brooklyn roasting site the day after it's roasted and there are good sweet and savory items...

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett will try to determine the motive behind the shooting of a Beverly police officer by Hamilton Police Sergeant Ken Nagy, and continues to investigate the off-duty violence between the two veteran officers, his spokeswoman said this afternoon. Carrie Kimball Monahan had said earlier today that the inquiry that began last Friday when Nagy shot and wounded Officer Jason Lantych and then killed himself would not include looking for a motive because Nagy is dead and no criminal charges could be brought against...