Dublin Day 9: Third Space

“They know you at coffee shops,” a man once shared with me.

This is a very accurate observation. I love coffee shops and have ever since my college years. Cozy atmosphere, inspiring music, decorated walls,  sweet hot chocolate, delicious pastries, intriguing people. What’s not to love?

And if you’re a writer, every table, every patron and every meal is its own story, just waiting to be told, to be revealed and to be shared.

On my second day here in Dublin, Alison, the woman from whom I’m renting a room during my entire stay, emailed me saying that she’ll be at Third Space after work and invited me to join her. That required the momentous task of putting on a coat, taking the elevator down, turning right and walking three store fronts.

Inside I was greeted by Lee, the highly-energetic, very warm and tough as nails manager who can run the US Congress – she’s just that fantastic.

Since that introduction, I’ve had my lunch at Third Space on average every other day. Hearty sandwiches, spicy soups and, of course, the desserts. Oh, those desserts!

This being Dublin and Dublin being part of Europe, Third Space has both small tables and a few communal ones. This is great as you politely ask current diners if you can join them and they of course say yes and you do and sometimes you leave them be and sometimes you jump into conversation. Like the second time I was there, I overheard a man asking the woman across from him if she knew anyone from Ohio. So I politely interjected into their conversation. It turns out this man will be filming a movie. In Akron. I told him my background and we exchanged business cards.

On another day, I saw three business people at one of these tables and then a mother and her baby joined at the other end: a perfect contrast of customers.

Third Space caters to people with good appetites, busy lives and a sense of humor. Two specific signs, which I witnessed being replaced from paper to official, suggest certain kind of behavior. Customers heading to the raised floors are greeted on two sides with, “Up here it’s ok to talk to strangers.” And below, in front of the bookshelf, there’s a very specific kind of etiquette that’s expected.

Today, on February 13, Third Space had a 2 Year Birthday Party event. The actual anniversary of the grand opening is Valentine’s Day, (my birthday) but there’s a whole other festivity happening that night. So, instead, this evening, I joined Alison, as well as the owners, Sean and Ana Mullan, and Tom Slattery, the Development Manager, for some celebratory cheer.

They all had wonderful stories to share. Ana is originally from Argentina and prepares some of the food. Tom spent several decades in corporate, including Xerox (so we had the Rochester, NY connection). The cafe was originally supposed to be more of a community center, but shifted gears. Yet that sense of community gathering is still strong. Customers can, should they wish, pay it forward and buy someone else a cup of coffee. But that gesture isn’t then just handed over to the next person who walks thru the door. No, instead, they are passed onto people for whom a cup of coffee at a coffee shop is a luxury. There’s then a true integration of the classes.

The overall energy of Third Space continues to grow. Due to demand, hours have extended into early evening and the cafe is now open on Sundays. There’s also tables outside and sometimes, during the 13:00 hour (1PM for us Americans), people are willing to sit in the brisk February air just to enjoy a good meal, a friendly greeting from Lee or the company of strangers.

And that’s exactly what a third place should be – a spot where you’re no longer at home or at work, but are en route, to or from, needing a transitional beverage to get you into or out of a certain mental space and get yourself ready for what’s next.

Third Space does it perfectly.