-
Recently Written
Summer 2009 Poll
Loading ...Translator
By N2H Give Back
Cambridge Closes
It has been confirmed that Cambridge Coffee on College St. has closed. There has been discussion on twitter that it may become a hot dog shop.
What are your reactions?
There are also rumors of more coffee shops close to closing. Anyone heard anything on that front?
National Coffee Day
According to Slashfood and a few other sources today is National Coffee Day! So to celebrate… have an extra cup!
Live “Comedic Storytelling” Broadcast Coming
We will be broadcasting a live performance of “Comedic Storytelling” next week right here on Auburn Coffee. We are planning on capturing the live video performance of a local guy at a local coffee shop and broadcasting it on the front page of AuburnCoffee.com. We wanted to go ahead and give you a heads up so that you could plan to watch.
Right now it is tentatively scheduled for:
Thursday, September 4th, 2008
7:30pm
We will fill you in on more of the details closer to the event. Thanks for stopping by and we hope you can tune in to see this great upcoming event!
The Gnu’s letter – July 2008
The Gnu’s letter
The Gnu’s Room Bookstore
& Coffee house
Summer Hours of Operation:
Monday—Closed Tue through Sat—9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday—Closed
Science Café Auburn
On Friday, July 11th at 7:00 p.m. our guest speaker will be Roma Davis. Roma is the owner of Aromatherapy and Massage Center in Auburn (AMC). She graduated from the Academy of Somatic Healing, and specializes in a combination of Swedish massage and neuromuscular massage. In 2006, AMC added a very powerful modality called Orthobionomy to their menu of services. Roma will be speaking about the health benefits to be gained from her areas of expertise, and will entertain questions from the audience.
Words Café Live!
In addition to the poets, storytellers and spoken word artists normally in attendance, this month’s event features the band, “Park Street.” They will be performing an acoustic set, which will be professionally recorded. Copies of the recording will be made available for later purchase at The Gnu’s Room. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 12th.
JULY GNU BREW
Please join us on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. as Marian Carcache visits the store. Marian’s short stories, articles, and reviews have appeared in Shenandoah, Chattahoochee Review, Southern Humanities Review, Bronte Society Transactions and other journals. Her work has been anthologized in Due South, Belles Lettres, Crossroads: Stories of the Southern Literary Fantastic, and most recently, Climbing Mt. Cheaha: Emerging Alabama Writers. Under the Arbor, an opera made from her short story and for which she wrote the libretto, appeared on PBS stations nationwide, was nominated for a regional Emmy, and was a finalist in the New York Festivals. She is recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts’ 2003-2004 Fellowship Award for fiction.
Marian grew up in rural Russell County, Alabama and now lives in Auburn with her five dogs and her son nearby. She is studying homeopathy. Marian is also our Artist of the Month. Many of her photographs on display were taken in black and white in rural Russell and Lee counties and hand-tinted using photo oils.
BOOK SIGNING
On Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 4:00 p.m., we are pleased to welcome local author, Gina Lancaster. Gina is a 1986 graduate of Auburn University in Fine Arts. While at Auburn, she worked with the Biology Department illustrating textbooks, which are still in current use. As an artist and designer, Gina won many awards, including the prestigious ADDY award for creative excellence in advertising. In 1989, a rising star in the art world, she had an important show coming up, but the joy and excitement of that event was marred by the sudden death of her beloved brother. The show was a huge success for Gina, but the loss of her brother left her questioning her existence, and would eventually change the course of her life. Her next 20 years were spent discovering truths of generations past, and unearthing healing practices that are just as viable today as they were thousands of years ago.
Gina accumulated years of experience in making herbal remedies, and while studying for her Naturopathic Doctorate Degree, earned certificates in various healing fields including Hands on Healing, Acupressure, Homeopathic Medicine, Herbal Medicine, and Flower Remedies. The culmination of Gina’s research, experience, and training has been the recent publication of her book, In Search of a Cure: While Living Off a Dime. The book details over 1,200 simple and cost conscious remedies. Gina will discuss her book and sign copies.
THIS MONTH IN BOOKS
July 2, 1877 German novelist Hermann Hesse, who will receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946 for his novel The Glass Bead Game (aka Magister Ludi), is born in a small town in the Black Forest.
July 4, 1981 On the 155th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s death, Dumas Malone, aged 89 and nearly blind, publishes The Sage of Monticello, the sixth and final volume of his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Jefferson.
July 8, 1915 H. G. Wells writes Henry James: “To you literature like painting has an end, to me literature like architecture is a means, it has a use.”
July 9, 1942 Anne Frank, 13, goes into hiding with her family and four other Jews in the Amsterdam warehouse behind her father’s business.
July 12, 1817 Henry David Thoreau is born in Concord, Massachusetts. He will publish only two books in his lifetime: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, and Walden, or Life in the Woods.
July 16, 1951 Little, Brown publishes J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye.
July 17, 1889 Attorney and author Erle Stanley Gardner is born in Madden, Massachusetts. Many of his more than 100 novels (written under his own name and the pen name A. A. Fair) will feature lawyer Perry Mason.
July 23, 1880 Mystery writer Raymond Chandler (Farewell, My Lovely; The Big Sleep) is born in Chicago, Illinois. He will be educated in England, France, and Germany, and travel widely before settling in California, which forms the background for his novels.
July 24, 1880 Alexandre Dumas (The Man in the Iron Mask) is born in Villers-Cotterets, France. Since he uses ghostwriters for his formula novels, it will be said: “nobody has read everything of Dumas, not even Dumas himself.”
July 29, 1805 Statesman and writer Alexis de Tocqueville is born in Paris. After a two-year stay in the United States, he will publish Democracy in America (1835–40).
“If I could I would work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results.”
- Emily Bronte
The Gnu’s letter – June 2008
The Gnu’s letter
June 2008
The Gnu’s Room Bookstore
& Coffee house
Summer Hours of Operation:
Monday—Closed Tue through Sat—9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m Sunday—Closed
JUNE GNU BREW
Please join us on Friday, June 27, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. as we welcome local author, Sue McDougald Watson.
Sue moved to Auburn about three years ago having spent most of her life in the tiny hamlets of Lowndesboro and Glenwood, Alabama. A former educator in the public school system, Sue is now teaching sophomore and senior English at Lee-Scott Academy, and spends her spare time being a hands-on grandmother to three rambunctious grandchildren.
She has recently published her first book, Jane Ellen’s Path. Set in the turbulent times of the 1960’s, it is a fictional account of the struggles of two women, one poor and black, the other white and privileged, who are best friends. A tale of poverty, injustice, financial insecurity, separation and need as well as love, loyalty, and reconciliation, Jane Ellen’s Path could be the story of any number of women who came of age in the South during that time.
Recently someone asked Sue how long she had been a writer. Her answer, “All my life. I have been fascinated with words for as long as I can remember. When I learned to read, I felt as if the entire world had been opened to me. I still feel that way about the written word.”
Sue will be discussing her novel and will be happy to sign copies during the evening.
Summer Night 2008 - downtown art walk
You will not want to miss the second annual Summer Night downtown art walk this Friday, June 20, 2008. This event celebrates local artists and will be a fun-filled evening of art, music, food and fun. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. you can browse artists’ booths for paintings, pottery, prints and more. There will be special events for the kids and music by Todd Vickery and the Alabama Gravy Soppers. Downtown restaurants will be providing food specials. Last year’s event was a lot of fun, and this year promises to be even bigger and better. We hope to see you there!
Artist of the Month—Christopher Newton
Christopher Newton is a student at Auburn University who spent several fire seasons during 2003 through 2005 in the Pacific Northwest, California, Arizona, Idaho and Montana. His photographs are “representations of milliseconds of my life and the lives of some of the finest individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing.”
Christopher refers to the photographic display as “My Crucible.” It is a period of his life in which his character was tempered and greatly refined through his experiences with fire and people.
The photographs have been described by several of our store patrons as “riveting.” Come by and take a look at the display and read Christopher’s description of “My Crucible.” In his words, “Although fire is potentially hazardous and destructive, it is my hope to convey its beautiful and regenerative properties given the proper context.”
Prints are available upon request.
THIS MONTH IN BOOKS
June 3, 1964 T. S. Eliot writes to Groucho Marx: “The picture of you in the newspaper saying that, amongst other reasons, you have come to London to see me has greatly enhanced my credit line in the neighborhood , and particularly with the greengrocer across the street.”
June 5, 1900 Stephen Crane (The Red Badge of Courage), 28, dies in a sanitarium in Badenweiler, Germany, of tuberculosis, compounded by malarial fever caught while he was covering the Spanish-American War in Cuba.
June 10, 1928 Artist and author of children’s books, Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) is born in Brooklyn, New York.
June 17, 1917 Gwendolyn Brooks is born in Topeka, Kansas. A poet and novelist, Brooks will become the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize, in 1950, for Annie Allen.
June 22, 1913 Amy Lowell gives an “Imagist” dinner party attended, among others, by Ford Madox Ford (author of 81 books—32 of them novels), who says he has no idea what the word means and suspects no one else does either..
June 24, 1842 Cynical author, Ambrose Bierce (The Devil’s Dictionary) is born in Meigs County, Ohio. Jack London will say: “Bierce would bury his best friend with a sigh of relief, and express satisfaction that he was done with him.”
June 26, 1892 Novelist Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize for Literature, is born in Hillsboro, West Virginia. A few months later, her missionary parents return to China, which will remain her home until 1933.
June 27, 1880 Helen Keller is born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Deaf, mute and blind from the age of 19 months due to scarlet fever, will write fluently about her life: The World I Live In and The Song of the Stone Wall.
June 30, 1857 Charles Dickens gives the first public reading from his works—A Christmas Carol—at St. Martin’s Hall, London.
“Good books, like good friends, are few and chosen; the more select, the more enjoyable.”
- Louisa May Alcott
The Gnu’s Room Bookstore & Coffee house
414 S Gay St
Auburn, AL
Phone: 334-821-5550
Fax: 334-821-5550
Email: tina@gnusroom.com
Good books…Great Coffee
Updates on New Coffee Shop Opening
Red Door June is opening Wednesday, June 11th in the Downtown Opelika Railroad strip. They will have both hot and cold drinks available. We will get a better idea of what they have once they open. Here are a few pictures of the shop as it looks a few days before opening. It is really coming together. (Previous post on RDJ)
This is Dennis Smythe, Originally from San Diego, CA & Graduae of the Amarican Barista and Coffee School. He is heading up and managing the Coffee side of Red Door June and graciously allowed us in for pictures. He is excited about the opeinging and excited about coffee. Hopefully Red Door June will be a long term tenant to downtown Opelika unlike some previous efforts. We look forward to checking out the new coffee soon.
Red Door June Pictures – Opelika’s Next Coffee Shop
Here are several pictures I took today of Red Door June. It is obviously a work in progress. Some of the shot are just to show its relation to other Opelika Landmarks like the courthouse.
Two New Local Coffee Shops Are Coming! Trumor?
Auburn Coffee has been made aware of two new coffee shops coming to town over the next few months. We have to keep them in the rumor stage now however until we get more feedback from the parties responsible for starting the shops. What we do know about the shops if they do indeed come is that one will be in downtown Opelika and the other in Village mall.
What we know so far:
Auburn Shop:
Name: The Coffee Cup
Location: The Village Mall
Opening: August 1st, 2008
People connected to this project: Vernalisa Pena
Opelika Shop:
Name: Red Door June Coffee & Floral Co.
Location: Historic Downtown Opelika
Opening: June 14, 2008
Featuring: Coffee, Espresso, Tea, Pastries and Italian sodas
People connected to this project: Dennis Smythe, Originally from San Diego, CA & Graduae of the Amarican Barista and Coffee School
If you know anything else about these shops please let us know. If you are, or know the owners, please contact us asap.
At our last count this would put little Auburn/Opelika to 11 coffee shops. And that’s if you count all the Sbucks as one even though they are at 4 or 5 if you count their piggyback shops.
Commercial Filmed at Toomers Coffee
PRESS RELEASE
Toomers Coffee was the location chosen by Dallas, Tx based film company, Directorz (http://www.directorz.net
The commercial is part of a two year ad campaign that will spotlight Alabama residents who have benefitted from the care of Blue Cross Blue Shield. Local Lakeview Baptist Seminary student, Jarod Dobbins, was selected after developing malaria as a result of a summer missions trip that landed him in the hospital for several weeks. His Blue Cross coverage was very helpful in covering his treatment costs.
They tell us the commercial may begin airing this summer. So keep a sharp eye. To see more photos of the shoot go to our website: www.toomerscoffee.com.
Sandy
Starbucks’ Retro Logo
How Starbucks is using a special brown logo to evoke the chain’s beginnings and restore some goodwill for the brand. Source: Business Week
by David Kiley
Brown is certainly a color that communicates coffee. So, when you order a cup of the new Pike Place coffee at Starbucks (SBUX) this week, it doesn’t seem out of place to see a special brown logo on the cup and paper sleeve. Except that, as everyone knows, Starbucks’ iconic logo is green. So why change such a successful corporate symbol?
The image of the twin-tailed mermaid inside the brown medallion harkens back to the chain’s 1971 beginnings. The logo has evolved over the years, going from brown to green in 1987. This is the second time in three years Starbucks has trotted out the brown mermaid, inspired by a Norse woodcut. Back in 2006, she was resurrected to mark the chain’s 35th anniversary. This time, she is a messenger for Chairman Howard Schultz, who is trying to restore some of the goodwill and warm feelings for the brand that have gone by the wayside because of increasing coffee prices, machine-made lattes, and bad press.
Starbucks plans to use the logo on all its cups for about eight weeks. It will remain in ads and as the logo for Pike Place bags of coffee. The new blend, which will be available in every store, has been crafted for a smoother, cleaner finish than many of the rotating blends Starbucks has traditionally carried week to week. This was done to combat the chief criticism of the company’s coffee by reviewers, including Consumer Reports, that it tastes “burned.”
“Nostalgia Effort”
“Now that Howard Schultz is back at the helm, this is definitely a nostalgia effort and a strong push to get back to the core values of the company,” says Rob Giampietro of New York design firm Giampietro + Smith, referring to the reintroduction of an old icon. The tagline below the cup’s sleeve reads: “Roasting coffee since 1971.” Starbucks spokesperson Bridget Baker says, “It’s a good time to celebrate our heritage.”
Giampietro compares the move with those of baseball teams that have their players don throwback uniforms. The retro nods are meant to enliven the mood of patrons who, even while enjoying a visit to the ballpark, may resent paying $100 or more for a family of three to see a nine-inning game. “Old logos can engender a brand’s story and history, and spark or rekindle an emotional bond,” says independent Los Angeles-based marketing consultant Dennis Keene.
Tapping a logo change to convey a corporate strategy is not a fresh idea. In 2000, then-Ford CEO Jacques Nasser took the Ford Blue Oval logo off the headquarters building in Dearborn, Mich., and replaced it with a script rendering of “The Ford Motor Co.” that was also used in corporate advertising. The move was meant to convey that Ford (F) was not just blue-oval Ford products, but also Jaguars, Volvos, Land Rovers, and the myriad of other outfits Nasser was buying to diversify the company’s interests. After Bill Ford took over as CEO in 2001, he embarked on a strategy meant to take Ford “back to the basics.” He directed that the blue-oval Ford brand logo be rehung on the company’s building to convey that the brand was the one that would carry the corporation back to health. Ford has continued to struggle financially, but under a new CEO, Alan Mulally, the company has embarked on a worldwide reemphasis of the Ford blue-oval brand. In the meantime, it has sold Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. “The move was done so no one inside the company, especially, would have any doubt about what brand will lead our recovery,” says Bill Ford, now chairman.
Giving Up Green?
Is there a danger that, by rolling out the old logo once again, Starbucks might overplay the authenticity card? “There is never a danger in reminding your employees or your customers of your authenticity as long as you also keep moving forward in new, surprising ways that are relevant to people,” says Brian Collins, principal of the New York-based strategic branding firm Collins:. “When it’s done right—and consistently—it can be the smartest way to market an established brand.”
It’s unlikely that Starbucks would ever consider going brown for good. The color is muddy and almost makes the cup look like it came from another company altogether. “As a color it’s so much less distinguished than the green, and the green conveys both a friendlier and more upscale image,” says Giampietro. “And it’s so Italian!” he adds, referring to Starbucks’ inspiration for the color, the Italian flag.
But Starbucks’ throwback logo is fodder for the bloggers: They’re poking fun at Schultz’s accommodation of conservative coffee drinkers. In the original logo, the twin-tailed Greek mermaid showed her navel and bare breasts. In 2006, when the logo was originally revived, the chain received complaints about the “decency” of the logo and, despite the chairman’s well-known liberal politics, the lady grew long hair to cover her indecency. That’s the version we have today. Italians would never have given in—or complained in the first place.
-
Search
-
