Dining may not be the first thing you think about when it comes to a place to load up on caffeine. But, it’s all about the experience at Tin Town’s Freakin’ Coffee Shop on Rosewall Crescent in Courtenay.

Food is optional.

Since my first job out of school, I have lived quite fondly for the cozy coffee shop. Single – with way more time on my hands than I will ever recover again – I remember waking up after a Saturday night of clubs, drinks with friends and 2 a.m. breakfasts and rolling out to the coffee shop with the funkiest, comfiest couches, excellent coffee and great music to spend two (or even three) hours reading the Sunday newspaper and recovering. (Ah, youth)

A place like that says home to me, a total escape from chaos. Friends WANT to meet you there. Feeling like you know the place takes about 10 seconds and everyone there just seems to vibe.

There are a couple of very cool coffee hangouts in the Comox Valley – and I don’t want to dish them because caffeine and I are the best of friends.

But, Freakin’ is off the hook.

CVK mom Melanie Perkins first plugged us in to Freakin’, and I could not be more grateful for the enlightenment.

The Vancouver-esque vibe from owners Sperlin and Maya comes into play before you even get inside. If you haven’t been out there, Tin Town is like a little bit of Gas Town tucked into the industrial area off of 26th. Its urban work-live warehouse feel makes for the perfect coffee hangout setting – especially in the warmer months when they roll up the garage door and pull out the vintage comfiness for people to pour out onto the sidewalk into.

The coffee is amazing – with the folks there very conscious about social and environmental responsibility from the cups they use to the fair trade coffee brewed.

Which leads me to even more. Freakin’ doubles as a bit of a library, where folks looking for hard-to-find reads on social issues from AIDS in Africa to sustainable farming can discover an amazing resource. Their lending library is open to anyone and truly eye opening.

The nester in me L-O-V-E-S the rooms full of vintage everything (lots of it for sale), from funky 70s swivel chairs to amazing couches that make you want to stay there all day. The snacks look yummy – most of them wheat, though. But, we know that our tasty oatmeal bars will be there, and that’s all we need for a mid-day pick-me-up.

As for the family-friendly factor, I have to say that the tiny person and I regularly pull up a couch and hang out. They’ve got a box full of cool toys that kept her going for at least 30 minutes when she tagged along on a recent business meeting and she totally digs the whole theory of eating her bar while snuggling up with a back issue of DWELL.

Plus, it’s just around the corner from 4Cats Arts Academy.

When the garage door is open, I recommend sitting toward the back of the shop to keep kiddos from wandering out into the parking lot. But, if the snacks don’t mesmerize them, the slammin’ DJ mixes will, forcing a little dancing action.

Freakin’ and its unusual location (you get to Tin Town by taking 26th headed west) may seem a bit off of your beaten path. But, once you’ve been there, your path may be permanently redirected.