Arson has destroyed the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop in Vassalboro, Maine. It was the only half-naked coffee shop in America (not that others haven’t tried), and it had been open for less than four months.
The Boston Globe reports that the fire was set mere hours after shop owner Donald Crabtree had appeared before a local planning board. He had proposed extending the eatery’s hours until 1 AM, “and allowing topless waitresses to dance around the restaurant.” The jiggle-fest would have been fueled entirely on coffee; no liquor would be served.
Semi-nudity and caffeine seemed like an entertaining combination to us, and we admired the pluck of a serving staff that would expose so much skin in a northern clime. Since no other local coffee shops have been burned, it appears that the arsonists hated torsos, not coffee.
According to the Globe, Crabtree has vowed to rebuild, though the building was not insured.
