In our week long blog series on how we got to the new office we cannot omit the classic coffee shop phase. Phoenix is among the cities with a Starbucks on almost every corner and as many independent coffee shops in between. Naturally the Arkayne team spent some time coding, conferencing, and convening at these coffee shops. As we all discovered in the “The Hilarity of Working From Home”, the need for human contact played a large role in Arkayne’s shift from home to coffee. Throw in every Phoenix developer’s and entrepreneur’s obsession with working from progressively more grungy coffee bars and Arkayne has compiled quite a list of favorites.

By far our favorite coffee place to work has to be Press Coffee at City North. Its quiet, close to home, and many of the Arkayne team members are on a first name basis with the owner. Great food, superb coffee, and perfect atmosphere. Did we mention the amazingly unbelievably delicious coffee? The place was great for working, quiet, well lit, and comfortable. Even having to re-enter a WIFI code every 90 minutes wasn’t so bad. The problem was the daily afternoon distraction. Across the street is a Blue Martini, which is heavily focused on beautiful young hostesses selling drinks. These hostesses enjoyed an afternoon sip of Press Coffee as much as anyone. Unfortunately no amount of back of the head smacking could get the team focused on work in the afternoons. We had to move on, thanks for the memories Press Coffee!

A far second favorite was Starbucks at Desert Ridge. Typical Starbucks tucked in between an ice cream parlor and a pizza joint. The staff here was very friendly and completely accommodating to people like us who sat all day and bought almost nothing. They had free WIFI and close access to food. We quickly discovered a major drawback to working 20 feet from a kids play fountain. Every morning Starbucks became a fire marshal’s worst nightmare with about 20 moms, 27 kids, and 19 strollers packing into a place the size of a large SUV. Throw in soul piercing toddler shrieks and we soon found ourselves highly agitated on a daily basis. We had to move on, thanks for the WIFI Starbucks!

The last place we tried was Lux, a cult favorite here in Phoenix. Imagine a start-up with a coffee bar in the middle of the office and not enough money to pay the lighting bills. This place does have good coffee though and is very trendy for an evening hangout. During the day however, its closer to an office. You’ll run into everyone from the Phoenix start-up community just by sitting there for an hour. We had a great time working there but it was tough to have a private conversation and a bit noisy with the coffee grinder running. It works for developers and graphics designers but tough on customer calls or team meetings. We did have some of the best lunches ever at the sandwich shop next door. We had to move on, so long and thanks for all the fish Lux!

So now that we’re settled in and the Arkayne logo is on the door, is it better? Absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt, not a moments hesitation, yes! A coffee shop has its place just like working from home but any entrepreneur serious about getting a project off the ground has to get the team into an office.  Its not about prestige or having cash to burn, its about focus, concentration, and effectiveness.