laptop-free weekends - the experiment

I knew that the day would come eventually. It came much sooner than I thought, and has taken me by surprise.

It was the day when we filled up with laptop users, and became just another wifi shack, at least for a couple hours.

It happened this past weekend. And led me to losing many hours of sleep, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.

I was serious when I wrote our manifesto, and our tagline ('not just another wifi shack'). I didn't want this place to become just another Cafe full of people a couple feet from each other but so absorbed with their gadgets that they did not interact. To that end, I made a lot of design decisions - I made all our seating communal, I didn't go out of my way to install laptop power, I make sure the music is a bit livelier and louder than in most places. And I hoped that our mission would resonate with people and that behavior might be different here.

When I walked out into our dining room last week, and saw a sea of laptops, with tangles of power cords everywhere, and so many people wearing headphones, it really upset me. And so I set out to figure out what was so upsetting, and why.

And here's the thing I got to, after much agonizing - community doesn't come for free. We must each support it as individuals. And that means that I have the right to ask you - our customers - to help us make the Cafe a place that's a bit different. There are plenty of places in the area which are full of laptop users, and where such behavior is welcome (or at least tolerated).

There are financial reasons for wanting to limit the time that folks spend in seats, and they're important. What most people don't realize is that the margin of a business like this is razor-thin, and that we make most of our money during our peak times. If we lose money because all or most of our seats are taken by people who spend little money and much time, our business is at risk. Cafes fail all the time. When that happens, we all lose.

But this isn't the most important thing. It's more important to me that we re-discover the social webs that used to tie us together. Ennui, depression, boredom, and desperation are the result of long-term isolative behavior. We're about love, hope, discovery, creativity, and looking each other in the eye.

And so, we're embarking on an experiment. For the month of February, our weekends will be laptop-free. This may anger some. It's a risky thing for a brand-new business to do.

But it's so important, I can't not do it.

If it goes well, we'll make it a permanent feature of the Cafe. If not, we'll try something else. I'm open to suggestions that lead to the desired result.

If you haven't already seen it, you might be interested to read dialog I had with facebook fans several months before the Cafe opened, on this very topic (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakland-CA/Actual-Cafe/63896313499?v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#/topic.php?uid=63896313499&topic=11411). It wasn't conclusive, and this isn't either. We're just trying to make our way in a cold world. :)

(wish us luck!)

k
sal

Quick update

I haven't had a second to give any updates on the Cafe, except 140 characters at a time. Here's a (slightly) longer one.

We've been doing spectacularly well, thanks to our neighbors and local cyclists. Weather has been a bit dodgy for the past couple weeks, and folks are a little less animated now that the holidays are over, but I'm past worrying about getting people into the Cafe, and on to bigger and better things.

We've started a movie night. Tonight will be our second week. Last week we played Willie Wonka (the original with Gene Wilder), and it was great. More on this soon.

We're also getting into the rhythm of first Friday openings, and starting to put together some interesting activities, music, etc.

This month, on February 5th, we'll be hosting an opening of 'Getting There' - photography by Christopher Hall. We'll also have B Spoke Tailor making made-to-order arm warmers out of recycled sweaters, and a nighttime bike ride after. There will be music, and fun of various sorts.

We're also embarking on an experiment - laptop-free weekends. I'm devoting a whole post to that today as well. Stay tuned.

First month in the bag. I'm looking forward to many more. If you haven't already, stop by and introduce yourself. We like making connections.

k
sal

It's been another action-packed week at the Cafe. Lots to report, less left to do.

We're fully staffed for the moment. We got (and continue to get) lots of great applicants, and I think we've got a really great team coming together. In addition to Katie, Sarah (who's now going by Curly), and Donna, we've got Sara, Daniel and Julian. We've all been working in the Cafe all week, and we've made a ton of progress.

Our kitchen is now pretty much completely outfitted, and we've even got some food that we've been cooking, testing recipes. The place is now almost completely painted (next time, I'm hiring a painter), and mostly clean. Yesterday, we got our stools and outdoor tables. We've got dishes, glassware, silverware, and even some decor.

Some fun things:

Sparkle Motion has arrived at the Cafe! Our bicycle-powered video jukebox is ready to blow your mind! Pics coming.

We're starting a book and magazine exchange. I seeded it with a bunch of stuff from my personal collection, but we can use more books - if you've got some you want to contribute to the cause, bring 'em by (only decent condition things that people might actually read, please!). We'll give you some coffee and snacks as thanks. Also, if you've got a magazine or newspaper subscription that you'd like to donate to the Cafe, let's chat.

Our community bulletin board is a big 'ol piece of sheet metal, and we need some awesome fridge magnets to make it feel lived in. Again, if you have some and want to chip in, bring 'em on down.

Under our bike parking, there's another big piece of sheet metal that needs some cool stickers. Got any?...you know what to do.

We've been testing our menu since yesterday, and it's really coming together in a pretty awesome way, I think. We've got a delicious breakfast sandwich with spinach, egg and cheese, and a little french toast plate that we'll do on weekends. We made some pickled veggies for salads and sides, and although they still need some tweaking, I think they'll be really good. Today, we'll be testing lunch sandwiches, and making lots of hot and cold drinks. If you're in the neighborhood between 11:00ish and 2:00ish, stop by. We'll probably have something for you to taste.

My flu symptoms are now almost entirely gone, and I feel like I might actually be able to ride a bike again, if I didn't have to spend all day picking up car loads of dishes, furniture, food and equipment. I brought my town bike to the Cafe to test our bike parking several weeks ago, and it's got a flat tire, which I haven't found the time or energy to fix, since I've been too sick to ride anyway. Maybe I'll fix it today. Definitely no later than tomorrow. Also, the Radish is coming out of the garage for normal Cafe operations.

I am so excited. You have no idea. I have been working on this project for about a year now, and the transition from making to doing is just days away now. I don't sleep much.

Really, really soon now. I mean it. You'll see.

-sal

OMG...it's almost time!

Firstly: I'm lame for not posting since about forever ago. So much has happened in the Actual world in the past few weeks, and I'm sure I missed lots of golden opportunities to amuse, titillate, engage and otherwise entertain you all. For this, I apologize. I do have some excuses, though...

The last couple weeks of construction were incredibly busy. Because of the way all the final inspections are linked together, we effectively had to finish everything, including things like signage and exterior paint, before we could even really start having the inspectors in. We had a full crew of my contractor's guys, plus various subcontractors, plus deliveries - all day, every day. Plus, I was still having to pick up most of the job materials we needed every day and keep the finish work moving fast enough that, for instance, the countertops were put together and rough finished so they could be set in place so that the bar area could get tiled, so that the wall coverings could go on, so the plumbing could go in, so the equipment could get installed, etc. etc.

Construction ended up taking about seven weeks altogether. I estimated between 6 and 8. I guess that means we kept the schedule. For most of that time, my day consisted of waking up at 4:30 or 5:00, answering emails and stuff for a bit, then getting to the Cafe at 6:00 or 6:30, working on whatever I needed to get done before the crew showed up (sanding, painting, whatever), then running errands for most of the day - picking up materials, meeting suppliers, buying equipment, dealing with various permit agencies. When the construction crew knocked off for the day, I'd be back at whatever else needed doing in the Cafe until 9:00 or 10:00 at night. Home, sleep, repeat. For the last couple weeks, even my weekends looked like this. Which is a hard routine to sustain, even for a nutcase like me.

Also, thanks again to all the friends and neighbors who showed up and gave generously of their weekend hours to help clean, paint, straighten up, and seal our floor. I'm so glad for the support, and I'm really happy to have had lots of folks add their personal touches to the Cafe along the way.

The good news is that my diligence paid off. Inspections went really smoothly, and within just a couple days, we had all the sign-offs we needed. The contractors packed up all their tools (and a few of mine), and quietly disappeared.

That very night, I came down with the Swine Flu.

The Flu (not just the flu, but The Flu) knocked me back on my skinny butt for a good week and a half. I don't think I've ever been quite so sick in my life. I'll spare you the disgusting details, but trust me - they're disgusting. I'm still trying to rid myself of the lingering symptoms. My voice is mostly gone, my sinuses feel like they're packed with steel wool, and I've still got a lot of crap in my lungs. But, as of Monday or so, I'm back on the Cafe horse, and getting more productive every day.

I hired my first employee yesterday. Her name is Kathryn, and she'll be working weekday afternoons. I like her, and I hope you all will as well. She's an artist, a cyclist, and a real fireball. She's helping out already - painting, cleaning, etc.

I hired my second and third employees today. Donna is a food service pro, and will be helping me lock down the Cafe menu, set up the kitchen, and also be working morning shifts once we're open. Sarah lives in the Triple Point Co-Housing development just a couple blocks away, and has been involved in the neighborhood and neighborhood institutions for years. She's also a photographer, and will hopefully show at the Cafe at some point soon. She'll be working the mornings that Donna doesn't. They're both super friendly, and I'm really thrilled to have them on the team.

I've always talked about the Cafe in the plural - 'we' rather than 'I', even though it's been mostly just me for almost the entire time. Now, however, when I say 'we,' it means something a bit different. Which, I have to say, is nice. I've been working on this project for almost a year now, and I've taken it as far as I can on my own. I've had lots of help on the way, some of it paid, and some just friendly, but now I'm building a team, and that team will make the Cafe much more than I could on my own.

I'm trying to wrap up all the hiring by the end of the week. Next week, staff will be coming in to clean, organize, set up and stock the place, and then (OMG!), we'll be open shortly after. No date yet. I want to be careful about doing too much promotion too early, and let us sort of ease into the flow of the Cafe before we overwhelm ourselves with eager customers who have been champing at the bit for the better part of the year to get their hungry selves in the door.

Stay tuned for lots of pics, and more details about the awesome Cafe staff.

And yeah, we're real close. You can start holding your breath now.

-sal

ps - We still don't have any artists lined up to show at the Cafe. If you're making art and haven't already sent me a note, please do. I want to see your stuff, for real.

k.

flying...

I ran out of gas yesterday. Luckily, I was only about a block from a gas station when the truck started sputtering, and I only had to push it across the street and up to the pump. I had been running errands for a couple days knowing that there was almost nothing left in the tank, but too distracted to actually stop for gas. It's not the only thing that should be getting done and isn't. But lots of things are, and mostly going really well.

Construction is moving really quickly. We're just over a month into the job, and we're working on finishes already. Tile installation started yesterday. Booth construction is almost done. We're started building cabinets yesterday and are setting countertops today. We're even working on paint and trim. It's starting to feel like a Cafe, and not just a construction site. Which is great.

I've also been hustling to get my beer & wine permit. I appear in front of the Oakland Planning Commission next Wednesday for review of my case. I've also been working on all the paperwork required, including putting together the mailing for property owners within 500 feet of the Cafe, identifying nearby 'civic uses' (churches, schools, parks), getting fingerprinted, signing affidavits, supplying financial information, hanging posters, publishing legal notices, writing content for the planning staff, and on and on. It's a real pain in the ass actually.

I've had some conversations with individual neighbors about the Cafe and my service of beer and wine. Most have been supportive, but some have been concerned. I think I've been able to reassure folks that we're not interested in creating problems in the neighborhood, and that we'll be responsible neighbors. It's made me even more attuned to the delicate balances that we need to strike to create the type of community I've always envisioned. It's not easy, and I hope we get it right.

I'm really sad about the character of the development which has happened near 40th street on the Avenue, and in Emeryville generally, which has resulted in a bunch of fairly uninteresting looking strip malls and large housing developments. I hope that we do a better job here. While there's a need for new housing and commercial tenants in the area, I'd be sad if that happened at the expense of folks who have spent decades in the neighborhood.

Some good news - one of the two newly renovated storefronts on the block is open for business - a new beauty salon.

I get asked several times a day when we'll be open. I don't have an answer that I trust yet. Construction will hopefully be done in just a few weeks. Inspections will probably turn up some issues that we'll need to address. Hopefully, none of them will be huge. Once those are done, we've got cleaning, hiring, stocking, training, and opening left to do. The time is approaching. Soon.

Off to build more stuff.

k

sal

it's the time of the season of building

Another two-week gap between posts. I wish I could find the time to post more consistenly, but at the moment, I can't. So...

Construction is well underway. We've got almost three weeks behind us, and things are progressing nicely. Most framing is done, rough electrical and plumbing are just about done, and we've got a wave of inspections happening this week, working toward 'OK to close,' meaning we can start covering walls. We hope to be hanging sheet rock before the end of the week. HVAC guys showed up today to start installing our heater, and almost all equipment is bought and ready for install.

Pics soon. I promise.

I've been making good use of my Xtracycle - it's hauled lots of nice loads, including a big load of light fixtures last week, and a couple runs of electrical supplies this week. I still haven't figured out how to haul really long stuff, so I'm using my car for loads of pipe/conduit/lumber. Today, I picked up a truck from Jason, who's kindly agreed to lend it to me for a while while I'm doing lots of materials runs. Thanks, Jason!

Furniture and decor is progressing nicely. Benches are put together, and ready for installation. One of the seating bars is completely done, and it looks really good. Cutting and sanding of the main seating bar will start this week. I'm also starting to think about service countertops, and framing the structure for booths. I picked up a load of old floorboards today, which I think will become the apron of the bar, and maybe some other things.

I've been spending lots of time in the past couple weeks working on various things related to the Cafe's beer and wine permit. I have several endorsement letters, but am still working on collecting the last couple. I wrote nearly 10 pages of responses to the questions on the city conditional use permit application. I also spent some time with the planners at the city who are working on the permit. I got good feedback on the materials I've already submitted, and expect notices to go out to neighbors at the end of this week. This week, I'll also get the official notice which will need to hang in the front window for two weeks. And I'm on the agenda for the November 4th planning commission meeting. Still lots to do between now and then to ensure everything goes smoothly.

One annoying thing - since I'm getting some money from the city Redevelopment Agency, I have to collect three written bids for all work we're doing. I've been trying to get bids for some minor storefront work (doors and windows) I need done, and I just can't seem to actually get bids. It's been a month of working on it, and I've had guys that just don't return my phone calls, guys that don't show up, guys that do show up but never get me bids, bids that don't make sense...it's a mess, really. I think I'm finally done with the process, but maybe not.

It's been a lot of long days - I'm up between 4:30 and 5:30 every morning, and working until 11:00 at night most nights, with not much time for anything else. Two Fridays ago, I fell asleep in my evening yoga class (right in the middle). Last Friday, I couldn't even get it together to actually go to class. Luckily I've still got weekend days to recuperate. I finally caught up with all my bookkeeping this weekend, and even managed to clean my house, which is one of the things that's been getting less attention than normal lately.

I get asked about 20 times a day when our opening date is. I wish I had one. Unfortunately, it's hard to know how inspections are going to go, especially having had so many long delays with various permitting agencies already. Also, the Health Department final inspection is the last one to happen, and they'll be the most picky - paying attention to finishes, type and placement of equipment, etc. I hope that next week or so, I'll start to feel a bit more confident in a construction schedule, and can start laying out the rest of the opening activities. In any case, we're definitely going in the right direction, and barring big delays, we'll be open before I know it. Literally.

Anyway - I'm a little sad I don't have more to report. I've been so busy, it seems like I should have lots more to write about. I don't. And I want to get to sleep tonight, so...

Stay tuned for more updates, soon. Also, check out the new Facebook widget on the blog page (to the right), and if you're on Facebook, check out our new suggestion box discussion (http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=12687&uid=63896313499). If you've got opinions, we want 'em.

k

sal

dusty, inside and out

It's been an exciting couple weeks. So exciting, in fact, that I haven't been able to find a free hour to sit down and write about it until now.

First, and best: we finally managed to get building permits last Thursday (not even a week ago). The city finally agreed that a single rest room was adequate, and everything past that was just paperwork, payments and formalities.

We broke ground on construction last Thursday as well. By the weekend, all the demolition had been done - concrete cut and trenches dug for new drain lines, sheetrock and framing torn out where needed. After one full week of construction (at the end of today), lots more is done. Framing of almost all interior walls is done. All the drains and sewer lines are installed and being tested. A whole lot of electrical stuff is done - most lights are wired, some switches are installed. Our first inspection is tomorrow (Health Department review of the rough plumbing), and more inspections will happen over the next several days.

My day is now full of various errands - running for construction supplies so I can keep the crew productive all day. When the crew goes home for the day, I'm working on countertops and other furniture. Emails and phone calls I try to squeeze in the early morning. And lots just doesn't get done every day. Which I'm pretty used to now.

I still haven't quite adjusted from the shift from waiting, negotiating and arguing and into doing. It feels a bit surreal now, watching the thing I've been imagining for so long starting to become really tangible - in concrete, iron, copper, and timber. It also reminds me that there are lots of other things that I now can't put off any longer - menu decisions have to be made, distributors selected, equipment ordered or bought. And hundreds of other little things that I can't even really think about right this second.

On the decor front, there's been some progress on counters - the laminated beams that I found at Heritage Salvage cleaned up really well with just a bit of sanding, and I've got one cut to size for the front window, and am in the process of finishing it and mounting it on legs. I hope to have it completely done by early next week. No pics yet, but I'll post a whole album when I've got it done.

Benches started with a bunch of busted up tongue-and-groove cedar boards I found at the ReStore in East Oakland - they cost me about $20 for 75 feet or so. Gerard and I spent a couple hours on Monday night cutting them into clean four-foot lengths, then gluing them together in three-board planks. I picked them up yesterday, gave them a light sanding, and have a couple coats of Varathane already on them. They're taking very little work, and are coming out really nicely. A bit rough around the edges, which I like, but also with lots of character. More pics to come.

Also, I posted pics last week of the newly-refurbed storefronts in the building next door.

There was a fire in the building a while back, and there's been a crew working on rebuilding the facades of the buildings for months now. I've had a few looks inside myself, but it was still a little surprising to see them finally unveiled when they took down the temporary plywood that had been covering them for all this time. They're covered in sort of classy-looking black and while porcelain tile, which gives the whole block a nice lift. One of the two spaces is an old take-out restaurant, so I'm hoping for another food place to move in. More options in the neighborhood is good for everyone, I think.

And, speaking of options, the cafe at the corner of 65th and San Pablo which, by the way, is called Tribu, is showing signs of imminent opening, adding to the cluster of restaurants and cafes stretching from Hollis to San Pablo on 65th, which will hopefully encourage people to venture off Hollis Street when they're looking for something to eat or drink in the neighborhood.

I had a nice moment at the end of the day on Friday, when I was sitting outside the Cafe at sunset, taking a break after the construction crew had left for the day. I watched people strolling up and down the block, checking out the newly uncovered storefronts, walking dogs, riding bikes. There were a couple schoolkids chasing each other down the sidewalk, laughing. And I had a vision of an evening not too far away, with folks sitting inside and outside the Cafe, enjoying the last bit of afternoon sun, feeling relaxed and safe and friendly. And I thought that this neighborhood is well overdue for that particular sort of love.

More soon (or as soon as I can manage, anyway)...

-sal