Baristas in the City: The Role of Hipsters in Gentrification

Monday - December 11 2023, 23:20 UTC - 11 months ago

Baristas in specialty coffee shops in Philadelphia are the 'shock troops' of gentrification—contributing to often unwelcome economic and demographic change. Baristas in Philadelphia are either artistic baristas or coffee careerists, who both aim to lead a more relaxed lifestyle while being surrounded by art and music scenes. Both types of baristas have rejected middle-class jobs in favor of those in the coffee industry.

Baristas who work in specialty coffee shops, along with hipsters more generally, have been referred to as the "shock troops" of urban gentrification – and it’s no different in Philadelphia. These servers of artisanal coffee contribute to economic and demographic changes in neighborhoods in two ways. First, they work in coffee shops that appeal to a new wave of middle-class residents who can afford higher rents – while at the same time alienating longtime and less economically advantaged residents .

Second, these baristas almost invariably live in gentrifying neighborhoods. They don’t have much money, but they tend to exude a cool, white middle-class presence. The appearance of specialty coffee shops and baristas signifies that a neighborhood is becoming trendy and more expensive.As a professor of sociology at Temple University who is fascinated with urban artistic subcultures, I recently published a book called "Barista in the City" with co-authors Keith McIntosh and Ewa Protasiuk .

In 2019, we interviewed 61 baristas in a variety of gentrifying neighborhoods in Philadelphia, including Fishtown, Kensington, Point Breeze and West Philadelphia. We wanted to understand why baristas become gentrifiers and how they view their role as agents of change.Privileged but low-wage workersA few baristas whom we interviewed were managers or assistant managers. Some were employed by Starbucks, but the vast majority worked in specialty coffee shops that strive to outdo Starbucks by offering coffee that is slightly more expensive and relatively high in quality, sustainability and fairness to coffee farmers .

We classified most of the baristas we interviewed as either artistic baristas or coffee careerists.Artistic baristas work in coffee shops primarily because they offer flexible employment that allows time for low-paid artistic activities, or enables them to finance their undergraduate education at art schools or other academic institutions. Coffee careerists, on the other hand, have a strong interest in artisanal coffee .

They aspire to become coffee shop managers, coffee roasters or coffee buyers who travel to other countries in search of the best beans.Both types of baristas were attracted to the relatively relaxed coffee shop environment. They enjoy chatting with their co-workers and favorite customers. Many stated that they have nothing against those who do corporate work but wouldn’t feel comfortable in that environment .

"I would probably like lose my mind in a 9-to-5 kind of thing," an artistic barista explained. "I just am not that type of person. I don’t like paperwork. I also don’t like the feeling of not being able to be myself. … I just know I would end up hating it."Most come from middle-class families and have attended, if not graduated, from college. As such, they have rejected relatively well-paid, middle-class positions in favor of an occupation suited to the lifestyle they wish to lead .

Living in a gentrifying neighborhood not only enables them to be near their job, but also to be near emerging art and music scenes, thrift shops or vegan eateries. It also provides relatively low-cost housing that allows them to save money for their art, travels or other lifestyle pursuits.