I live in Knoxville, and we’re up to about 10 independent little coffee shops, with the bulk of them having opened in the last few years. Most of the owners don

I live in Knoxville, and we’re up to about 10 independent little coffee shops, with the bulk of them having opened in the last few years. Most of the owners don’t seem to mind people on their laptops, but then again, there is a university nearby so I’d say about 90% of people in the coffee shops are on their laptops focusing on school work. Most of my research in grad school was completed at these places. That said, I normally don’t stay longer than 3 hours at any individual coffee shop, particularly if there’s a lack of seats for new customers. I also generally tip $2-3 — more if I buy a pastry. You can typically tell which places are amenable to laptops because they have an outlet at every seat. I think remote work will only increase over time, and I’m sure there are other people like me who focus much better in a coffee shop with strangers and music than in an open office. I’d really like to open my own coffee shop one day with ample seating and a sign that says “laptops and conversation both welcome”.