If the most important element of a hipster cafe is its hipsters, then Time Market has a leg up on its competition. On a recent hump day evening, the customers were all young, attractive, tattooed and bespectacled — and there were a lot of them.
But none of them were drinking coffee.
Time Market is not, strictly speaking, a coffee shop. It’s a market. On the east side, it sells speciality groceries. In the middle, there’s a dining area for eating its salads, sandwiches and pizzas. And in the very northwest corner of the store, there’s a bar and patio for customers sipping Time Market’s coffee, beer and wine.
But they serve espresso and the barista has a handlebar mustache, so it had to go on the list.
Time Market is a bit too loud and bustling for getting most work done, but the two-person tables against the windows on University Boulevard are perfect for meeting a friend and talking about environmental justice and Vampire Weekend — or whatever it is hipsters do these days. And the people-watching is unbeatable.
It has its own Sun Link Tucson Modern Streetcar stop, only a few hundred feet west of campus, making it convenient for students. A red neon sign advertising “Gatsby’s pizza” beckons customers off the street — though the color of the sign represents a real missed opportunity. What kind of hipster doesn’t know they should print “Gatsby’s pizza” in green? That’s minus half-a-hipster right there.
There aren’t many other reasons to question Time Market’s hipster cred, though. Craft beer? Check. Kale salads? Check. Arugala and goat cheese pizza? Check. The coffee, of course, is fair trade. The tea is organic. Everything is delicious.
Time Market is the kind of hipster that even plebes can’t pick a fight with. It’s too pleasant. It’s indie music that you can still dance to — both hip and practical. And practically speaking, Time Market has a great vibe.
But also — figs on a pizza? A large can easily feed all four-and-a-half hipsters.
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Jacquelyn Oesterblad is opinions editor. Follow her on Twitter.
