I didn’t apply to work at Highland Coffees last February because I needed a new job, and I didn’t do it because I needed more money. What I desperatley needed was a change in my lifestyle.
Before I got hired, I spent the majority of my time in isolation from everyone around me. Maybe some people have an easy time starting college, meeting new friends, and finding that niche where they fit in perfectly. I was halfway done with my sophomore year, but I wasn’t even close to feeling like I belonged anywhere.
LSU is huge. Walking to and from class, I’m always caught in a swarm of people. The environment can be intimidating, and it’s easy to become just another face in the crowd.
Graduating high school had me consumed with stress about my future. For someone as introverted as I am, it was incredibly easy to fade into the background of everyone else’s lives as I sorted through my own daily responsibilities.
As I attempted to handle the difficult transition into college, my freshman year left me feeling alone and confused. The challenge of adapting to an unfamiliar environment is one that many individuals, especially freshmen in college, must face.
Luckily, that was the same year I discovered Highland Coffees.
I knew immediately that there was something about the place that comforted me even on my worst days. As I started to go there regularly, I couldn’t help but notice I saw a lot of the same people.
Familiarity. That’s what I began to feel.
I’d be walking through the Quad, only to see someone and think, “Hey, that guy goes to Highland Coffees a lot.” In that moment of brief recognition, I knew what the other person was thinking: “Hey, that girl goes to Highland Coffees a lot.”
Mutual familiarity. Somehow, being familiar with the community at Highland Coffees was able to shrink my surroundings, making it less intimidating.
Highland Coffees became my safe haven from the daunting environment of a college campus. No matter how awful things seemed, I knew I was only a five-minute walk away from a friendly smile and a cup of excellent coffee.
It’s a place where, even if I’m by myself, I never feel isolated. I fell in love with the environment and that’s why I decided to fill out an application.
Working at Highland Coffees has drawn me away from my excessive isolation. I was nervous when I first got hired, but the staff was far more welcoming than I could’ve hoped for.
There’s something almost therapeutic about interacting with the community, making drinks and being a part of such a welcoming atmosphere. It has truly made me a happier person.
When the news about Highland Coffees’ closure went public last Monday, the community erupted with protest. A petition with over 5,000 signatures was created, calling for the shop to be kept open indefinitely. More than ever, it became clear to me that I’m not the only one who feels a deep-rooted connection to Highland Coffees.
There are customers who have been going to Highland Coffees since it opened 25 years ago. That’s more years than I’ve been alive.
As different shops in the Northgate neighborhood have gone in and out of business, year after year, Highland Coffees has been a stable source of comfort and familiarity to the Baton Rouge community.
For someone who has no personal attachments to the place, the powerful reaction of the community towards its closure must have been a little confusing. You might’ve thought, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a coffee shop. There are plenty of those around LSU.”
Highland Coffees is the farthest thing from being “just a coffee shop.” If it were just about coffee, I wouldn’t be writing this.
It’s about providing a welcoming environment for people as they work through the stresses of their personal lives. It’s about preserving a historically rich location as the details in our lives, and the city of Baton Rouge, change around us.
Maybe some people look at Highland Coffees’ closure as purely a matter of business and real estate — but to me, and the thousands of others who signed the petition, this issue is incredibly personal. It’s about as personal as it can get.
Shirin Chowdhury is a 20-year-old English junior from Manhattan, Kansas.
Highland Coffee, located at 3350 Highland Road, is set to close on December 24.
