Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Who doesn't love coffee? (If you don't, you're weird.) It’s the perfect way to start your morning. Personally, I feel incomplete without my starting the day with a cup of coffee.

When it’s time for a treat, everyone has their favorite coffee shop to stop by and grab a cup of joe, but whether it’s a local coffee shop or the nearest chain is the real question. There is competition between the two, whether it’s in a small town or even the Windy City. In Chicago, there’s a Starbucks nearly on every corner. The trick to finding the best coffee around is seeking out the cute, local and homegrown places.

Local coffee shops win every time. In local coffee shops, employees are more likely to know you. Especially if you’re a regular. They make the effort to learn your name and possibly strike up a conversation with you. I worked in a local coffee shop and had regular customers. I was able to speak with them about something new every day and learn more about them. That is something that should be more prevalent in coffee culture. A good cup of coffee leads to a good conversation, and that should be celebrated in a coffee shop. It starts with whom you order it from. The barista sets the tone for the coffee shop experience.

The best part about local coffee shops is that each and every one of them is unique. That is the simplistic beauty of it all. No matter where you go or where you are searching, if you go to the nearest local coffee shop, it will be different than the last one you found. Each one has its own style and uniqueness going for itself. It might be an extremely hippie coffee shop in downtown Boulder, or it might be a biker coffee shop in Wichita.

I have some favorite local coffee shops all over the map — because they are all over. It’s truly a scavenger hunt to find your favorite. It’s a matter of finding beauty in the ordinary.

The small hole-in-the-wall coffee shops that you wouldn’t expect to be successful will surprise you. Perhaps you walk in and fall in love with the art pieces on the wall or the amazing cappuccino they prepare for you. To me, it’s a game. Finding the cutest little coffee shops and enjoying what they make. Visiting somewhere new is WAY more fun than the same-old routine in a Starbucks or driving through Scooter’s. They’re convenient, but when it comes to wanting a good conversation in a charming, lovely place — I always go the local route.