GRAND VIEW AT THIS COFFEE SHOP

The state fire marshal’s office has just announced the arrest of a man for burning down a coffee shop in Vassalboro, Maine last June. The arsonist was angry because his girlfriend, a waitress at the shop, was in a sexual relationship with the owner. What made this coffee shop unique is that it’s waitresses served customers while topless.
　
Because that coffee shop was very popular before it burned down, I suspect the owner has reopened it. I’m going to try to con my wife into us taking a trip to Maine to look at the fall foliage. I stopped drinking coffee years ago, but if I get to Vassalboro before I croak, I’ll give that brew another shot and enjoy the grand view.
　
Here is the U.S.News & World Report story on the original opening of the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop:
　
TOPLESS COFFEE SHOP DREW 150 APPLICANTS FOR 10 POSITIONS
By Liz Wolgemuth
　
U.S.News & World Report
February 25, 2009
　
Vassalboro, Maine's newest coffee shop is garnering national attention for something other than its $3 a cup coffee. At the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, the waitresses are, well, topless.
　
You can read the local paper's report here. The most interesting piece of news is not near the top of the story--it's not the news that many local residents are unhappy, or that other locals are already stopping by (as many as 60 customers on Monday).
　
You'll have to scroll to the bottom for the most stunning detail. The Kennebec Journal reports that the shop's owner Donald Crabtree said that he interviewed 150 people for the positions, "and narrowed the field to 10."
　
Further evidence that this is a rough job market.
　
The shop is located in what is described by a local government council as a "rural residential suburb"--population 4,500 or so. It opens at 6 a.m. to serve hot coffee and doughnuts.
　
Topless waitress Susie Wiley, 23, of Farmingdale explained her interest to the Journal. She went for the job because it’s "something different" and she’s worked in coffee shops since she was a teenager.
　
Asked whether the shop is degrading to women, Wiley said, "No, I love it. I find it very empowering, not degrading."