Itinerant street peddlers often were the first to introduce wondrous things from far-off places to a population eager to try anything new.

The first cafes were outdoors, run by sellers who serviced their clientele in the open air.

In the late 17th century, coffeehouses sprang up throughout London. Coffee was brewed in huge cauldrons over an open fire. Customers sat at long wooden tables and paid a penny upon entry and usally two pence per cup.

In Paris, the earliest coffeehouse was started by an Armenian. It drew its clientele from the 'foreign' community as well as the indigenous French who were acquainted with the Levant.