I had a shoot scheduled with a local Philly blogger one weekend, but due to an unforeseen personal emergency on her end, we had to postpone it. I was already at the cafe we decided to meet at, and unfazed, I continued to slowly work my way through my cappuccino, read a book, and had quality time to myself. After awhile, I looked up what was in the neighbourhood and found that a cafe I had been meaning to check out for some time was nearby, so I finished up my cappuccino and then went on a short stroll to my next cappuccino at Milkcrate Cafe.
Milkcrate Cafe is a cafe and vinyl record boutique. I don’t even have a record player, but I love a cafe with personality. Milkcrate’s walls are decorated with records (all for sale), the tables have vinyl record decal, and there’s a basement floor just for records.
I browsed the basement to see if I’d find anything I’d recognise, and I did recognise a few of the big names like David Bowie and Aretha Franklin. The most mainstream artist I found was Zayn. But the genre more up my alley was the soundtracks.
I stumbled upon the soundtrack for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and snatched it up. Audrey Hepburn being my namesake, this film has a special place in my heart. I don’t have a record player, but for $6, why not get the record? At the very least, it’d make for nice decor in my room.
There was a record player in the basement with headphones hooked up for customers to sample the records they were browsing, but not only do I not have a record player, I don’t even know how to use one. I played out a scene in my head of me asking the employee in charge of the basement how to use the record player and striking up a little chat, but as soon as that thought crossed my mind, another customer started using the record player, so I turned around, went straight to the barista upstairs, paid for the record without listening to it, and got a cappuccino while I was at it (to buy myself time to photograph the record with the cool interior decor of the cafe).
I used to have to force myself away from cafes because I was developing an unhealthy dependency on cafes and coffee, but now I’m in a phase where I want to force myself to go to cafes (aiming for once a week), put myself where new experiences can happen, dress nicely for no occasion. Experience more, create, experience, create, create, create.
So that’s what I’ve been up to! What about you?
Do you have a record player? Got a brand/model to recommend to me?
400 E Girard Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19125
(267) 909-8348
PS: one shot cafe, happily ever after dessert cafe, pie & plate cafe, shot tower coffee