The round table at Borders Books in Springfield was decked out like a desk for George Mason student Yalda Nazirian. Armed with her laptop computer, Nazirian liked the atmosphere better than the school library or her bedroom at home in Kingstowne. It was a "third" option for studying, writing or work.
"As long as it's not home, it's just different. At school, it's too distracting, there's too many friends," she said.
The noise level was perfect for Georgetown University student Reza Madani.
"This is better than the library. I like to study where there is a little bit of noise," he said.
The combination of books, available tables and ambiance makes the area bookstores and coffee shops attractive to students, workers and entrepreneurs who don't feel like committing to the office but don't want to stay at home, either. Some grab a cup of coffee, some don't, but it all seems to work out in the end for the businesses and individuals. Borders cafe manager John Scully takes it in stride.
"They'll stay for hours. We'll sell them a cup of coffee. We don't have a policy of 'you can't do that.' It adds to the ambiance of the whole store," he said.
Barnes & Noble assistant manager Pat Hertzbach noted the learning environment that accompanies the bookstores.
"If they want to be productive and come away with a feeling that they've been productive, that's good," she said.
Kingstowne Starbucks' barista Jeff Woods sees a variety of workers from behind the cappuccino machine.
"Teachers come in here making up tests, there's a guy writing his thesis, Giant down the street brings in their vendors. We call it ‘the third place.’ We encourage it," he said.
<mh>Group Cohesion
<bt>Groups have been known to gather, as well. Sometimes it's a client, a book discussion group or a few parents taking a break from the home life.
"Groups come in here casually. It does provide an atmosphere for general discussion. It strikes a balance between a library and a more social forum," Hertzbach said.
Over at Barnes & Noble, some students that met while attending Virginia Military Institute (VMI) gathered on an impulse.
"It was just a spontaneous thing," Springfield resident Chris Pilger said.
Kelly Sullivan liked the convenience and quiet but admitted there was another factor. The bookstore was across the street from Springfield Mall, with its multiple movie theaters.
"We missed the movie," she admitted.
For Ebony McElroy of Arlington, it was a noise issue, as it was for Madani.
"It's not too quiet, which I can't stand," she said.
The three admitted there was coffee available, as well as pastries and books, but there wasn't a flurry of spending going on.
"I just grabbed some water," Pilger said.
Springfield resident Pat Johnson was in Panera Bread with a stack of papers from her volunteer position at the church, Sydenstricker United Methodist.
"This is volunteer work for my church. I'm using the time in between," she said, referring to the time between leaving home and her next commitment. She uses the cafe as a stopping point in between.
Blanca Rosales likes to be away from her home. She was studying the Bible.
"If I try to do it at home, I get distracted. I can tune out everything," she said.
<mh>Plugging In
<bt>Although laptop computers are common, there are no plugs or Internet access in some places. Cords going to the various tables can present a problem. At Barnes & Noble, Hertzbach noted that this doesn't deter many.
"We're not really set up for the cyber age per se. Most people run off batteries," she said.
Over at Panera, they encourage plugging in laptops at some of the tables. The plugs are situated right under the table to prevent cords from getting in customers’ paths. Rick Mollindo is the manager at Kingstowne Panera.
"They usually bring their laptops, and we have outlets. We like to be the third place. Not office, not home, a relaxing place to do work," he said.
The new Starbucks in the City of Fairfax has a large sitting room upstairs with two electrical outlets and one outlet downstairs. They just opened Dec. 15, so this may be a new feature in their shops.
"Not all the stores have it. Starbucks has always welcomed people coming in and working, some staying all day. President Bush has a speech writer that comes into our store on 17th and Penn," said Starbucks public relations representative Megan Hoyt.
Shirley Jo is the manager or Kiara's Coffee in Fairfax. She thinks it's the quiet atmosphere that appeals to people with laptops or work to catch up on.
"It's always the same people who bring in the laptop," she said.
<mh>Logging On
<bt>Scully said Borders was offering a limited connection to a store Internet site at some of its pilot locations in Michigan, near the headquarters. By logging onto the Borders Web site, patrons could look for book availability among their stores but they don’t have World Wide Web access.
"There are 10 stores that have it now. They will be rolling that out in March," he said.
Scully witnessed the cyber cafes following suit with many of the dot-com companies' demise. There wasn't much money being made by the hosting establishments.
"All the places that I know of were around for a year. Someone has to figure out a way to make it work," he said.
George Mason student Alexis Holler went to one of the cyber cafes in Washington, D.C., before.
"Something like that is not somewhere I'd go to hang out. For whatever reason, they're not popular here [in Virginia]," she said.
Holler is a student assistant in the Johnson Center at George Mason University, where there are electrical outlets and Internet outlets located in various places around the building for students with laptops.
Misha's in Alexandria does have phone jacks available for customer use. Nate Ridenour, an employee in Misha's for more than two years, does see a lot of business go on there.
"We do have phone jacks for people to use. I've seen people pull blueprints out, spread them over three tables. It's less pressure, a more free-thinking environment," he said.
The Atomic Grounds Cafe and Cyberlounge is a lone holdout in the cyber-cafe world. It has computers for rent, $7 per hour, or Internet access for laptops at $4 an hour. Owner and manager Avi Charnis knows his exclusivity. He saw the other cyber cafes in Arlington and Washington close over the past year.
"We are the only one. Sometimes it's crowded, you never know," he said.