Dear Sam reviewers, I would agree that the crowd has changed over the years (I live two doors away from the place) but Sam's has always served a steady mix of aloof, crazy, obnoxious, opinionated, and at times fascinating people with a sprinkling of intellectual snobs.
Plenty of regular and friendly folks also visit regularly to get a cheap coffee fix, to exchange political views, gossip and lord knows what else. Over the years, we have also noted some very interesting racial dynamics, some positive, some negative. A lively streetscape, that's for sure. For the past three years, we've seen waves of groupies of all sorts, including the anarchists, the bike messenger crowd, and the fake hippies (not the kind I hung around with in college). I've never been afraid of tattoos, badly colored hair, dreadlocks, body piercings or the "nouveau punk" look. I just hope everyone stays off "the big H". Not to worry folks: we all know that most of them will probably grow up to be Republican-suburbanite-capitalists. (Perhaps we really should worry!) Thankfully, it has always been a pretty quiet and orderly clientele. People play chess, acoustic music and shoot the bull for hours but the place closes promptly every night. We have always suffered from a slew of "inconsiderates" who use our driveways as "Sam's annex" (making loud cell phone calls; parking cars, bikes and motorcycles; as off-street playground for kids; sit-down circles of small discussion groups; musicians; jewelry salesmen; loose dogs) and had to contract with "George Smith" to avoid having our only exit blocked. We do miss the variety of goods such as the Bassets ice cream and imported cigarettes from the days of Dave Graves and his band (lasted until the early nineties) or the exotic remedies and healthy alternatives of the days of Robert and Peter (who still hangs around). For a time, music and haiku performances livened the place. Sadly, The New York Times is no longer being delivered because the bundles were being swiped from outside of the store. In defense of new owner Ben Carroll, he has tried to clean up the place, painted the benches and takes care to remove trash left by customers. He also disposed of the "donated" items that are sometimes left next to the store and in front of our neighbors' property. He has been very responsive to our requests to keep the overall trash down and junk from in front of my neighbor's property. He can use some encouragement and advice from everyone. As Sam's Place faces more competition from neighboring coffee shops and grocery stores, it needs to refine its niche. I believe they should stick with the basics: good coffee, bagels, news and such. And though The Green Line and Caf� Clave on Locust are good examples of better offerings (and friendlier service), Sam's doesn't have to get totally "yuppie-fied" to make improvements. Peace, Alex de Soto -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jonathan Cass Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 5:00 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [UC] Sam's Place The last time I remember Sam's being decent was when it was owned by David Graves back in the late 80s. It had good sandwiches then and was actually a groovy little market that catered to the neighborhood. It has looked as described by Pete Coyle since I moved back to the neighborhood in late 2002. Does anyone know who owns it now? Jonathan A. Cass -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Pete Coyle Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 4:35 PM To: Mark Krull Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [UC] Sam's Place Sam's Place used to smell like cat pee, I think they've dealt with that problem. I used to go there for coffee while walking the dog, and the service was always mediocre at best. I think you have to be a Hippie, or a Gutter Punk Anarchist to get good service. I imagine because the Green Line is actually cleaned regularly, and has regular hours that you can count on it to draw away many of Sam's old customers. Next time you go to Sam's try getting really stoned first, I'm sure everything will go smoothly. Pete P.S. I'm not putting down punks and hippies, I'm just saying that's where they get there dirty coffee. On Wednesday, June 9, 2004, at 04:04 PM, Mark Krull wrote: > Hello > A friend of mind complained that Sams Place is poorly stocked > and the employee was hostile to him. I was just there and > they act like they do not want your business unless you're > cool or somthing. > Has anyone elese experienced this? > Thanks > Mark > > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
