Coffee Exchange

Literary Journalism piece written on 2/25/10 for Creative Nonfiction course

 

Walk into Coffee Exchange at any time of day and you will notice an eclectic bunch of people mingling about in the shop and behind the counter.  The Providence crowd has a certain aesthetic; a mix of native Rhode Islanders, Brown and RISD students, and artsy-looking people who probably didn’t grow up in Providence but are drawn to the community for one reason or another.

One reason is that Providence is home to places like Coffee Exchange, a 26-year-old East Side coffee shop on Wickenden Street, just blocks away from India Point Park, the Jewelry District, and the Brown and RISD campuses.

As you scoot around circular tables in search of a place to sit, it’s likely that you will pass the bean counter, with its display of 32 types of coffee beans, roasted on the premises, ready to be ground and bagged and brought home.  And if you pass the bean counter, it’s likely that you will notice a short man in a funky button-up shirt and an appropriately coffee-colored brown suede vest.

That man is Charlie Fishbein, owner of Coffee Exchange.  Charlie’s family opened up the shop in 1984, but Charlie didn’t take over until his brother Bill moved to Santa Fe about 20 years ago.  In 1988, Bill founded Coffee Kids, a nonprofit that works to help children and families in coffee-growing communities. This work took Bill away from Coffee Exchange, leaving Charlie in charge.

An LA baby who grew up in Providence, Charlie has seen the ebb and flow of businesses on the East Side.  He says that Coffee Exchange was the accidental byproduct of his family’s cookware business, which ran out of a few locations, one of them being Wickenden Street.  When the business folded due to tough interest rates, the Fishbein family decided to stay on Wickenden and open up a new shop, one that would focus on coffee-related cookware.

“We didn’t serve any espresso or any brewed coffee, it was strictly coffee by the pound, and grinders and filters and stuff, and we were giving out samples, we were brewing it in these ten-cup Chemex automatics,” Charlie recalls.  “We had people lined up for samples, said oh, well, okay, why don’t we sell this stuff, you know, hello, and so we started selling it and the lines kept coming.”

Having met so much success selling brewed coffee, the Fishbein family invested in an espresso machine, and began to sell Armenian pastries made by a friend.  Next they added indoor and outdoor seating, which was also a success, until they were using three times as many square feet outside of the restaurant as they were inside.  In four years, it was clear to the Fishbeins that they needed a bigger place.

Charlie and his family moved the business across the street, and with the added space, they were able to roast beans on the premises.  Ten years ago, Charlie joined a roasters’ co-op called Cooperative Coffees, and as a result of their local reputation and respected name in the coffee industry, business continued to go well.

“I roast as much coffee as probably the bottom third of the 25 roasters that we have, even though a lot of them have several stores or several accounts for wholesale, we still roast more coffee then they do because we do so much business here.”

It is remarkable how much business Charlie actually does—stop by Coffee Exchange almost any time from 6:30 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. and you will be hard pressed to find a seat, even though the shop, situated on the ground floor of a mustard-colored Providence house, seats a few dozen.

Unexpected as it may be, Charlie credits much of his success to big coffee chains such as Starbucks.  “Every night when I say my prayers, I thank God for Starbucks.  If it wasn’t for Starbucks, then I wouldn’t be selling four-dollar cups of coffee… I’d be selling good coffee, I’d be selling it for a decent price… but the truth of the matter, Starbucks… they do nothing except improve our business… If they were to go across the street, you know we’d have a little war; it wouldn’t bother me that much.  I’m pretty much insulated from the type of damage that could happen with Starbucks.”

In fact, Starbucks did try to move in across the street about ten years ago when Dudley’s hardware put their building up for sale.  With its glass front and ample parking, the building was an ideal location for Starbucks to set up a store, as they tend to do, directly across the street from “the number one spot in coffee in Providence,” Charlie says.

Hours after Dudley’s put their store up for sale, Charlie jumped in and bought the space.  As quick as he acted, it still took him over six months to decide what would be the best next step.  “We debated, we kept getting good tenants to go in there… one company that wanted to go in there was Starbucks… and I wanted to rent it to them.  Yeah, this would be great.  What we can do, we can charge them rent up the kazoo, that’s gonna make up for any losses we’re gonna have in business, charge them a billion dollars a year, they can afford anything… and have a war and be known for the only store that can beat Starbucks, this would be great.”

Charlie’s family did not agree with his tactics. They decided not to rent the building to Starbucks, or any coffee chain for that matter.  Today the first floor is occupied by Utrecht, a nationwide art supply store.

Charlie’s reaction to this situation is typical of him as a businessperson.  According to Susan Wood, CEO of Coffee Kids, Charlie is “an extraordinarily creative person…he’s not content at all to let anything be the status quo… his ability to really focus on always making this a better work environment and a better customer experience is really terrific.”

Charlie’s high standards for Coffee Exchange are probably the basis behind the confident assertion that he could win a “war” with Starbucks.  “The challenge has always been to maintain this discipline on putting out fresh coffee,” he explains.  “It just is really simple, but it’s the key element of the entire business is that the coffee is best because it’s freshest, that’s it.”

Not only is the coffee the best, but the environment seems to be the best as well.  Charlie is concerned about the increase in laptops and cell phone use in the shop, and yet, he refuses to post a sign prohibiting their use.  “The whole idea of coming in here and sitting down is like a community center where people can come in, and the idea of applying rules to it makes it so it’s a one way street, it emphasizes the commercialism of it, but not the social haven that this is supposed to be.”

All things considered, maybe it’s not so outrageous that Charlie Fishbein feels so unthreatened by a substantial chain like Starbucks.  His intense focus on the wellbeing of the customers and the quality of the coffee set Coffee Exchange apart from other coffee shops, both large chains and small independent stores.

“His ability to really focus on always making this a better work environment and a better customer experience is really terrific,” Susan explains.  “He has an unbelievable appreciation for his customers.  His other thing is that ‘the customer may not always be right, but the customer’s always the customer.’  And he wants to make the experience for someone coming in and sharing their time, as well as buying our products, a really good one.”

Indeed, Charlie can be heard repeating this mantra to anyone who engages him in a conversation about what he does.  But even if the customers are right, they won’t stay customers for long if they find better coffee at another shop.  Charlie encourages his customers to go buy coffee at Starbucks and compare the quality.  “Anybody that wants to come in and say they bought coffee at Starbucks, and they want to know whether this is any better, just try it.  I love that comparison.”

With fresh batches of coffee brewed a few times each hour, there is no question that Coffee Exchange has a fresh brew.  Since they are so closely tied to Coffee Kids, all of the coffees they serve are also certified organic and certified fair trade.

“Life’s a coffee break,” Charlie says, his gap-toothed smile leaning to the right.  “You can’t have an argument over good coffee… I always come out on top with coffee, and I really feel blessed that I wound up with coffee. Also the people are just wonderful… The big three are right there: owners, employees, and customers.  When they’re all clicking on all cylinders, you cannot but be satisfied with your business.”