The Organic Press, January 2006

Men In skirts: Stepping out of Starbucks

by Kristi Birkeland

Imagine, if you will, heading down to your favorite coffee house for a warm drink on a blustery fall day. When you arrive, you see that the male staff members are all wearking skirts. You make note of this as you order the house signature drink and proceed to a table. A few moments later, as you are casually chatting with a co-worker, you look up to find yourself smack dab in the middle of a wedding. As the guests gather around the bride and groom, customers continue to filter in and out, ordering espresso and keeping the men in skirts hard at work.

No need to pinch yourself. This isn't a dream. It's simply another day at The Black Drop. Nestled on the corner of Grand Avenue and West Champion in downtown Bellingham, The Black Drop is a unique coffee house that routinely serves up a dose of the unexpected along with its top notch brew. On a recent visit, I witnessed all of the above events first hand.

Mind you, it was Friday, so I was fully expecting the men in skirts. If you're a regular at the Black Drop, then you know that every Friday is Flaunt Your Freedom Friday, where staff and customers alike are encouraged to sport their Utilikilts. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the Utilikilt is basically a man-skirt. Created for men by men, the Utilikilt is essentially half tool-belt, half skirt. With plenty of pockets to house manly possessions, the Utilikilt provides an alternative to pants for men who seek the comfort of free movement without sacrificing utilitarianism. And so it is with pride that the men of The Black Drop wear their kilts every Friday, while also rewarding those customers brave enough to flaunt their freedom with 50 cents off the espresso drink of their choice.

And even though there is no special discount for women in wedding dresses, the bride to be didn't appear to mind at all. Covered in body art, she wore a lovely, yet simple, white dress and carried a small bouquet of flowers as she stood beside her groom, who was looking dapper in his crisp white shirt, combat boots and silver earrings. I recently spoke with Teri Bryant, who co-owns The Black Drop with her business partner Alexarc Mastema, regarding the spontaneous wedding. "They called me on a Tuesday to ask if they could get married here on Friday. How could I say no?" Teri went on to tell me that both of them had been customers for some time, but they didn't actually know each other. Eventually, they struck up a conversation and discovered they had a lot in common. It was there that the romance brewed, so to speak, and when it came time to tie the knot, they could think of no better place than where they met. By virtue of being there myself, I was "invited" to witness the affair.

Technically, I suppose I should thank my ever present craving for and/or addiction to Alexarc's Marquis for that unique opportunity. A Black Drop original, this one of a kind beverage sensation consists of two shots of espresso blended with steamed milk and precisely flavored with vanilla, cinnamon and the ever elusive "secret ingredient X." It's heaven in a cup, and it can only be found here: in the cozy little coffee house with the vibrant, multi-colored walls and inky blue ceiling, complete with glow in the dark stars.

The Black Drop's colorful decor seems to reflect the artistic nature of both its clientele and staff. There are even chalkboards located in both rest rooms, just in case you happen to have a sudden burst of...creativity. In addition to being brightly painted, the walls are also home to a rotating selection of works from local artists, many of whom frequent The Black Drop as customers. The staff consists of five members, who regularly invent contests and events that are nothing if not out of the ordinary. For example, they once hosted a giant water balloon fight (off site, of course!) that began as a team-building exercise for employees, but was soon open to the public. This resulted in fifty-some-odd people pelting each other with literally hundreds of water balloons in an all-out war.

Other annual events include an anti-Valentines Day competition for the best Valentine's Day tale of woe and the ever popular Peep Fest. Peep Fest is held each year around Easter as a tribute, of sorts, to those famous pastel marshmallow chicks. Props to the Peeps, if you will. The object of the Peep Fest extravaganza is to get together and consume mass quantitites of the gooey little guys until you can Peep no more. Don't worry, this event is also held off-site.

Teri laughs as she reminisces about the crazy events created by her staff, but as soon as the talk turns to coffee, she's all business. After listening to her explain the delicacies of different beans and how slight variations in the weather can affect the taste of my latte, I am convinced that Teri and Alex really know their stuff. As a national barista judge, Alex travels the country evaluating world champion baristas and their signature creations. Meanwhile, Teri's technical knowledge about growing, selecting, roasting and preparing coffee is most impressive. Together, they have worked hard to create and maintain the highest quality and integrity for their coffee creations. The result is nothing less than mouthwatering. From pulling the perfect espresso shot to gently sculpting designs into the foam, the staff at The Black Drop knows how to make each drink an experience.

In fact, one of the first things I learned about The Black Drop is not to go there if I'm in a hurry. Each drink is made with extreme attention to detail and that takes time. The results, in my opinion, are well worth the wait. However, I will confess that if time is of the essence, I'll hit another vendor. As Teri explained to me, "Starbucks is the McDonald's of the coffee industry. They use automated systems to make their drinks at the touch of a button. This process results in a product that is both fast and consistent, but it also sacrifices quality."

When I asked Teri how she felt about Starbucks moving in downtown, her answer surprised me. "Starbucks is a company that does a lot of great things, and they almost single-handedly invented the industry, so I have to thank them for that. Plus, I think Starbucks has been really good for the downtown area. And the more people they bring in, the better, because mas more people come downtown, they will eventually find us, too. There's room for all of us...just like there's room for both McDonald's and Bob's Burgers and Brew."

But just as you wouldn't go to Bob's and order a Big Mac, don't go to Starbucks and try to order Alexarc's Marquis or Stephanie's French Toast Latte or Teri's Gingersnap Macchiato. And please, don't even think about ordering Jonathan's Monkey in a Tree, a delightful combination of chocolate, coconut and banana with steamed milk and espresso, because if the time is right and you're not in a hurry, Jonathan will customize your "for here" cup with a hand drawn monkey lovingly drizzled in chocolate atop a picturesque layer of foam. Now that's what I call local flavor.