Coffee Nostalgia

The photo above is of a great (yet, so little) establishment on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, CA. I used to live there as a small child and McCoffee’s came to represent a fantastical food dreamland of sorts (yes, I know it says “M Coffee’s” - explanation soon to come).
If you try and walk past it, you will inevitably be drawn back by the enveloping scent of rich, roasted coffee beans. You will follow the scent, almost as if you could visualize it wafting through the air, just like in a cartoon. Your feet, lifted ever so slightly above the ground, your nose leading you now and your arms and legs rendered useless. Eyes closed, you will be coaxed into the doors of McCoffee’s, where nothing inside will disappoint. This is especially true on a chilly, overcast day, when a cup of truly delicious hot coffee is most enticing. But it is also true on a sunny, warm day…when you will be seduced by their eccletic assortment of ice cream.
But, long before McDonald’s decided to coin their coffee, “McCafe”, did McCoffee’s exist. However, McDonald’s felt the name was too similar and McCoffee’s became M Coffee. But that’s okay, because they still remain. As a child, my Mom used to take me here on a regular basis, for ice cream and candy. When I walked in, the far wall was lined with inviting glass jars, filled with colorful candy. I always ordered only one kind though - sourballs. I would take my bag of sourballs and my Mom and I would walk around Main Street, going about our day. But with the sweet candy melting in my mouth and the scent of coffee now embedded in my clothes (even though I had only stood in the store for a mere five minutes or so)… I was content… and a memory, created.