I actually LOL'd only because I know cgod personally. I don't think he could do pretentious or snobby if he tried. You won't meet many people as down to earth and enjoyable. If the shop is ANY extension of him, it's the kind of place anyone would feel welcome... except maybe pretentious snobs... :-)
His place definitely doesn't feel pretentious or snobby! (grain of salt: I've been there once)
It's because it's a luxury item, right? You only go to coffee shops if you have a bit of disposable income. So an increase in coffee shops in an area is a sign of the arrival of wealthier residents. The part about coffee shops in London being related to certain ways of doing business is interesting, it's pretty common in London for job interviews for startups to be conducted in these places. No idea if it's always been like that