And pet resistant too, right alb? After all, for some people, their pets are their children. Can you work on some ideas for that & get back to us?

1. I understand that owners of most establishments will never be interested in toddler-proofing. But there are tons of toddlers, stay-at-home moms, nannies, etc. in Paulus Hook, and I think it makes sense for one of the coffee places there (probably Daily Grind, which is owned by someone with a small child) to become the unofficial parent coffee place and maybe the other one to be the unofficial singles/get work done coffee place. And maybe for both places to amplify their tiny marketing budgets by getting together to market each other as little bubbles of humanity in a new-construction concrete jungle.

2. Toddler-proofing basics:

a) No candles on tables. I know candles are pretty, but I just don't understand why owners of restaurants in crowded, 100-year-old firetraps put candles on their tables.

b) Fill the holes in exposed sockets with baby-protection plugs.

c) If possible, get tables that are hard for toddlers to knock over or move. (E.g., no 4-legged tables with a short third leg or featherweight tables that are so light a 2-year-old can push them around.)

d) If you have shelves or bureaus against walls, anchor the shelves or bureaus to the wall. (My guess is that, at a commercial establishment, this step would also increase safety for adult patrons.)

e) If you display merchandise, such as bags of coffee or coffee cups, make sure the seriously breakable stuff is at waist level or higher. (In other words, maybe you can depend on parents to keep 2-year-olds from making a mess out of bags of coffee, but don't depend solely on parents' reflexes to keep 2-year-olds safe. Even 2-year-olds with inattentive parents deserve not to get glass splinters in their fingers, and the shop owner deserves not to have glass merchandise broken.)

f) In general try to keep as much movable stuff as possible, other maybe than paper, at the height of an adult waist, or higher.

g) If you really, really want toddler parent and nanny business: figure out a way to wall in a corner with furniture and toddler barriers, put soft, easily cleaned padding on the floor, and put a few toddler toys in the enclosure. Encourage parents to drink their coffee in the toddler area, or just outside it, while the toddlers play in the toddler area.

Of course, as non-toddler parents are going to probably going to reply: all these steps may repulse other patrons. One solution might be for the Daily Grind, which has more than one room, to make its backroom a toddler room and shield the civilians by closing the door.

Another approach might be for a place to set up a portable toddler area during some period in the day when business is usually slow.

Regardless, I think avoiding candles and covering electrical sockets are good basic steps for any establishment that might occasionally have toddlers on the premises, and I really think that, unless there's some kind of huge bad blood, Daily Grind and Legal Grounds should think of themselves as allies against a Starbuck's invasion, not archrivals.

What exactly do you mean by toddler-resistant???

We stopped by today and chatted with owners Irma and Christopher Escudero. Make no mistake, this place is a serious coffee shop and is going to make a wonderful addition to the up and coming JC cafe scene. Legal Grounds will be roasting their own coffee on premises. They also have some very serious equipment including a 3 group La Marzocca espresso machine, the Rolls Royce of espresso machines, as well as double pot Fetco coffee brewer and grinder. That's half the equation. The other half is knowing how to use the equipment. Christopher has been researching and training for the past year and he definitely knows his way around the equipment. The espresso he made for me proved that.

The place is homey and has a real cafe feel to it. The unusual lights really add a nice touch. Credit that to the expertise Christopher developed in the lighting business, a career that followed his law degree.

They open Sunday, February 27th. Best of luck to a super nice couple who did their homework.

I went to this place today and met the owners, it looks like a fantastic place. They will have sandwiches, pastries, and they are roasting their own coffee.

They are opening on Sunday Feb. 27, 2005.

Legal Grounds Coffee Company
170 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ

Just saw that this place opened up. Seems like it sprung up over night. It is pretty close to The Daily Grind which itself does not seem too busy. Perhaps, Legal Grounds is planning on pulling a lot of car traffic from commuters driving on Grand street. Any one taste their stuff?