Esparks, the microchain coffee shop on the Corner of Metropolitan and Cooper is closed.

Esparks had a lot of pros and cons. They gave you a Starbucks atmosphere with cushy chairs and free wifi, but the coffee was pretty weak and the wifi was often out. The tables were too high for the chairs and benches and they frequently played Christian rock and folk music, which I could have personally done without. Very often the staff was missing and you'd stand there in silence waiting, ever waiting for someone to come out of the back room.

But still. They were a nice place overall. They were not too far out of the way that I couldn't walk there. The area was safe enough and they had a small parking lot so that on a drive out of town I could drive up, park with my roof down without fear, grab an iced coffee or a froyo and be on my way. The area Starbuckses are in areas too congested to be able to do that.