As I sat in the empty part of the parking lot
where your folks used pass with a smile and a nod,
I couldn’t help thinking that I knew this would happen.
I knew that one day I would drive up and there would be no “Open” sign.
And the tables would be gone.
And there would be no apple fritters in the pastry case.
And there would be “hiss” from the espresso machine.
Somehow I knew that you would be a victim of this economy,
that you wouldn’t hold up against the great Starbucks or the lesser Caribou
But I didn’t realize I would miss you so much.
Here I learned that BMI could kill a session.
Here I learned how hard it is to resist a place where people know your name.
And this is where I felt a simple love for Chai lattes with apple and caramel mixed in.
How can such a simple pleasure be so hard to lose?
R.I.P., Mr. Toads.
How very sad! 
Poor Mr Toads.
Oh, boo! My sympathies, Nathan.
I’m guessing Starbucks won’t be far behind. Nice writing BTW
Doc
Thank you sir. And we can only hope.
Stephanie, Mr Toad’s owner, roasts a fine bean,
and sells her beans to many local restaurants.
So, maybe she’ll pull out another coffeehouse
on less contested grounds. I just hate to see
the small guy lose.
Now that I think of it, I think Mr Toads housed
the first regular Irish session I attended. Ah,
nostalgia.
Body-Mass index can kill a session? Or is it British Midland International?
This is why, wherever and whenever possible, I skirt the chain places in favor of the mom and pop shops.
Sorry Mr. Toads closed.
If you can’t fit through the door, you can’t play.
As I wrote the first post, I almost said ASCAP
instead because I knew that someone would
ask about Body-Mass Index. Thank you for not
disappointing me.
Here’s an old thread on BMI and sessions:
https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/copyrights-and-sessions/22796/1
Here’s the site for Broadcast Music, Inc:
http://www.BMI.com
Well, I’m only a damned foreigner, so you can’t expect me to remember these things.
Our Music Gestapo in the UK are called something different, I think. Not that I know what…
It is sad when something that you love is taken away. It’s not as if you can replace the coffeehouse with another one, as it takes time for a place to grow on you. Two of my favorite local Chinese restaurants have shared similar fates in the last six months. I go to other ones, but it’s not the same. No one can duplicate Chinese Ruby’s secret sauce.
My wife and I were shopping for shoes at Clarks in a large mall. I asked to speak to Mr. Clark, and the salesperson gigled and looked at me like I was crazy. I would like to think that Mr. or Ms. Clark was in the backroom arranging shoes, just like Bud Stein at Stein’s Shoes was in my hometown, but I know that in corporate America this is merely a fantasy, but a fantasy that I would like to hold onto.
This happened recently in a cafe where we had our monthly session. There is definitely something that can be said about an establishment where the owners and employees all know you by name.