Oh Common Grounds how I miss thee.
Let's get a few things straight about this place. Common Grounds isn't a coffee shop, or a bar, or even a hangout...it's an experience. It is not for the faint of heart, the closed of mind, or the conservative of spirit. With signature drinks like "The Raspberry Bitch Kiss" or "The Dirty Girl Scout" this place is clearly for those willing to chill out, remove the sticks from their rear, and sit a while.
If you are looking for a quaint, quiet, plushy retreat to write your cupcake blog...go to "Starsucks", but if you want to have a genuinely interesting and passionate conversation about anything from the upcoming Warcraft expansion, to theoretical physics, to 1980's rock history, to the secret behind making the best tasting pies in Cleveland, then you are right where you want to be.
Regulars at this establishment are like family and they are treated as such by the talented, savvy, and badass collection of staff. You will always be welcome there if you know how to play by the rules, those of which are few and simple to follow.
- Buy a drink
- Be respectful of others around you
- Don't break things that don't belong to you
- Be a generally decent human being
The atmosphere is prone to change throughout the day/week, but always into something dynamic. It's never boring there unless you yourself are boring. It is indeed in need of a fixer-upper in terms of the floors, tables, and chairs. They're well-loved and a little rough around the edges, but let's face it, it's Cleveland, so is everything else.
The thing this place has going for it that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in the city is a real SOUL to it. It has stories just saturating the air there. As such it's an artists/writer's playground. So come prepared for a trip down the rabbit hole while sipping on some of the best custom drinks around.
A few tips here:
- Tip well...the baristas will love you for it, and it'll come back to you tenfold in your quality of experience.
- Check any judgey, homophobic, xenophobic, racist, or otherwise backwards mentalities at the door. They are not welcome.
- That being said, keep an open mind and a "ready for anything" attitude about you as it's really a place more geared for adults who can and do speak their mind. Just remember, keep it respectful.
- TALK TO PEOPLE! I'd suggest starting with the barista as they have time because they'll be able to give you the rundown of what's what in the shop at any given moment.
- BUY A DRINK! They are tasty and it's important to be a patron of locally owned establishments in your neighborhood, or any neighborhood for that matter.
Rock on and Enjoy!