Hometown Heroes. Every city has them, be it the affable weather man (George Maupin, obviously) or somebody who saved the proverbial cat.
And we, too, want to celebrate these heroes, these princes and princesses of Spokane. Therefore we introduce our new segment, Hometown Heroes, where we will do just that, celebrate them. Granted, you don't really have to be a hero to be featured here. Nor does Spokane need to be your hometown. But you get the picture.
The idea came after a Barista Parlor -- an (apparently) awesome Nashville coffee shop which one half of Team SpoCOOL has visited, leaving the other half appropriately bitter, but I digress -- barista was featured on imogene + willie's blog-segment, "The Roundup". Here Hometown Heroes share their twenty must-haves, helping you to know them just a little bit better.
So we decided to do something similar. And without further ado, we present to you our first Hometown Hero...
... the Keaton Violet!
You know Keaton from Coeur, where he pulls espresso shots with love and care. He prances around in worker's boots, sporting a beard any man would envy, and he has even inspired a parody Twitter account, @keatonviolent. What drives him to be the man known and loved (in a platonic way) by Spokane? Here is Keaton's top five:
1. Tacos: Tacos are either really good or really bad. There's no in between. Tacos El Sol (yellow truck) downtown across from the A Club is a great place to start. Cheap and delicious. What could be better?
2. Vinyl: If you buy vinyl, one of the best places for this addicting habit is the Bachelor Pad on Monroe St. They also have an awesome lineup of vintage stereo equipment and vintage clothing as well. If you don't know what records to buy, ask the guys there about their world/jazz selection, and be prepared to have your mind blown.
3. Cocktails: One of my favorite places in town right now is Casper Fry. They have an incredible whiskey selection (maybe the best in town?), and their bartenders are eager to make awesome drinks. This is a good combination for drinking well. It doesn't hurt that their food is great.
4. Kitchen Supplies: I'm kind of a nerd when it comes to kitchen gadgets. That's why the Kitchen Engine (located in the Flour Mill) is one of my favorite stores in Spokane. They're picky about what they carry, so you know it's good. They have a great selection of cooking gear, coffee brewing equipment, and a really nice selection of tasty salts.
5. Local Music: If you're looking for a great local music act, make sure you don't miss the next time Marshall Mclean plays. His next show is on March 2nd at Jones Radiator at 9 p.m. Tickets are five dollars, which is a small price to pay to see the best songwriter in the NW perform amazing songs. You can learn more at www.marshallmclean.com.
And there you have it! That is what makes Keaton tick. You can follow the man -- the real one -- on Twitter at @keatonviolet, or just go enjoy one of his delicious coffee drinks at Coeur. We highly recommend the latter.
Who do you want to see featured as a Hometown Hero? Email us, team@spocool.com, or tweet us, @spocool, to nominate someone. We are all ears.