This is the question. A very current one. As you already know, I’m (once again) living in the U.S. And here—both in Vienna before I left, and now in D.C. (yes, that’s what we call it here, though the “correct” name is DMV: the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, District of Columbia)—everyone asks me the same two things:
- Do I like America?
- When will I open Fenster in the USA?
I’ve already answered the first one in the previous post. As for the second… honestly, I don’t know. I really don’t. How could anyone possibly know when they’ve just landed in a completely unfamiliar environment where everything works differently from what they’re used to?
Yes, I lived here before for 10 months. But in that period, the only things I managed to do were register a company, get a federal tax ID, open a bank account—and that was it. No more time, no more bandwidth. And deep down, I knew I’d have to go back. So that experience counts for, what, maybe one-tenth of a percent? Not more.
So now I’ve come back to the U.S. And what, I should immediately open Fenster? Where? How? When? I haven’t even started asking the real questions yet. No, friends. It took me five years in Vienna before opening the very first Fenster. That meant the language, experience, knowing the landscape and the rules, figuring out how to align dreams with reality. And even then, before Fenster I had two years of “just a coffee shop” and six months of a “wrong coffee shop.” All of that helped. So tell me—how can you expect someone to arrive and immediately know when and how to open a new one? I don’t. Maybe others can. But not me.
And to be honest, this question is starting to haunt me. I’ve been here a month and a half, almost two now, and I still don’t know: will I open Fenster, and if so, when? It even irritates me a little. At the same time, I get it. I’d probably ask the same thing if I were on the other side of the conversation.
So let me repeat my answer: I don’t know. As soon as I do, I’ll tell you. Until then, consider this my “reference” post—I’ll just send everyone here when the question comes up 🙂
A Bit of Hope
Do I want to open Fenster in the U.S.? Yes. Very much. But the format I’d like to start with will cost money. Not crazy amounts, but more than the original Fenster. And the biggest cost? Rent. Because I’d only want to do it on Manhattan. So first—I need to earn for that project.
Will there be something else coffee-related here in the U.S.? Most likely, yes. I already have a few hypotheses I’d like to test out here in D.C. But again—it’s a matter of time. For now, I’m just learning, observing, trying to understand where I fit in and who might actually need me here.
And by the way—this morning I had an absolutely gorgeous Kenya from my “rare stash,” brewed in the Aeropress (the most underrated device ever). Light roast, grind a bit coarser than espresso, 1:10 ratio, 4-minute brew. Try it. And realize: espresso is for beginners 🙂
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