My point is that sometimes we frequent a business just because they are the ones that provide the service we need at the moment.  I often go to Starbucks for this reason.  They have a store (or realistically many stores) in about every neighborhood in the Portland area.  Often their locations are open a bit later than the local shops, and they usually have decent size tables with a predictable environment.  I may offend some here, but I really dislike their coffee.  I get around this by drinking tea, hot chocolate, or a vanilla steamer.

Last week, I was out running errands, hungry, and didn’t want to devote much time to eating.  So I ran into the Starbucks at Hillsboro’s Streets of Tanasbourne, to pick up a drink and a banana walnut bread.  I wanted a vanilla steamer, and ordered a vanilla bean listed on their menu, thinking it was the same thing.  When the barista handed me a cold drink, on a wet chilly day, I said “oh I was expecting something hot”.  It looked good so I was prepared to try it realizing I made the mistake, not her.  She quickly said she would replace it with whatever I had expected and started steaming milk.  The supervisor overheard, came over to me and handed me a certificate good for a free drink.  She told me to use it next time, and to please take both drinks.

As I left it occurred to me that I made a mistake, left with the correct drink, another drink for a friend, and a certificate to get anything I wanted free of charge on my next visit.  Wow, what service!  Thinking about this I realized that maybe Starbucks did not grow to have a shop on every corner because people like their coffee.  It’s not all about product.

When I started out as a wedding and portrait photographer, I thought my skills in photography were going to be everything I needed to be successful.  My goal was to be the best photographer in Portland.  Since, I have discovered that besides there being a lot of amazing photographers in Portland, it takes more than being a great photographer to run a thriving business.  Client relations, financial planning, marketing, and lots more business tasks are all part of succeeding.

While I still prefer a bit of diversity that the local small business offers, I have a new appreciation for the other things about Starbucks.  Good thing since I ended up spending Saturday morning last weekend in not one, but two Starbucks!

During our trip back east we visited my old friend Kendra in New Jersey.  I mentioned her a few months back in a post.  Her son is one day younger than my daughter.  This was the second time they met, and seemed to become instant friends.  I think at one point three of the four adults had a camera out and were trying to keep up with the little ones running around.

This is one of my favorites because it captures them.  It reminds me of their dashes that would start in one end of the kitchen, and end in a very brief break looking out the window at a cold winter day.