INTRODUCTION

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     The events of this story begin unfolding in New York City in the year 1999, before terrorists downed the World Trade Center, before the U.S. economy spun into a death spiral, and before we sat around our kitchen tables kvetching about a “housing bubble.”  Historians will record the late 1990s as a halcyon period for the city of New York.  With the city’s robust economy, most of us living here had a little spare cash in our pockets, and countless shops and eateries—all hip and unique—took our cash as quickly as we could withdraw it from ATMs.  Also in 1999, HBO’s Sex and the City soared in the ratings, captivating women across America while bestowing cultural cachet on New York, making it the place to be.  The City has always enjoyed a coffeehouse culture, but in the late 1990s, before Starbucks plunked chain coffee shops seemingly on every corner, independent coffeehouses here flourished.  The Villages in Manhattan—particularly the East Village—became a Mecca for those seeking the artistic vibe of the indie coffeehouse scene.  The Pour House is the story of one such bohemian coffeehouse—and about its owner, Tory, who struggles to keep her shop afloat as the economy overheats, headed for collapse.

 

 

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