I honestly am at a loss to explain what it is about this region that intrigues so many people, myself included. If I had a nickel for every time I said "Screw it, pack up the cat, we are moving to Portland/Montreal/Barcelona/etc." I would actually have enough money to rent a good sized truck and do so. Instead it is almost a morbid curiosity that keeps us shackled here (I'm not going to admit that "shackled" may be too harsh a term, at times it is extremely appropriate), there is probably a similar rationale for why I attempt to root for the Browns every season. Damn them. The reason is potential for the Browns (and Cleveland) is so great, it is almost a trap, you can't risk turning away from for chance of missing something positive, I mean when you start so very low, it doesn't even have to be spectacular, simply tolerable and it would feel like success. I suppose if you were constantly surrounded by suck and the news just kept reminding you of the corruption of suck and the same suck was always doing the same sucky things the same sucky way, the brief moments of lack of suck would be amazing and that elation may be enough for you to coexist with the suck without giving up.
There is probably something about getting older too, where you don't feel as young, spry, full of hope and wonder and start thinking seriously about putting down roots and becoming and adult or whatever. I don't know really. I know that I am starting to be able to enjoy making more things and researching about more things and I guess doing more things that I like then I used to, perhaps my interests have narrowed or perhaps I am realizing that I cannot afford to put things off much longer for fear of losing my chances forever. Much like I never got to eat at the Blue Onion before they closed their shop up and will forever be disappointed.
Regardless, I was at work this (Actually Monday) morning, being an adult and working when I received an email from the MarJ regarding a very nice fellow I met at the Gordon Square Farmer's Market (and his wife) who is a fellow Professor and shared some very nice tips on keeping track of students names (granted he has many more than I, but I am horrible at names anyway, hence everyone having a nickname like "Hey" or "Buddy"). Apparently while he was away from his coffee roastery some scavengers picked his building clean, accomplishing quite a bit of damage to the building (that they couldn't steal) and taking everything else. His roastery was not yet in full swing (I was able to sample a cuppa last summer and it was quite nice) but he had bigger plans anyway. Large community based plans. Plans that would be good for the region and if 10% of them could be affected I think it would move us beyond a moment of tolerable into something quite pleasant, which for us in this town would be rather nice indeed.
Now he has done the social media thing and posted an explanation of the events in question and asked quite nicely for help. When I sort out how/what I can do I will be responding, probably before I finalize this post and check for typos and the like. In his explanation (which I will repost below if you are like me and do not facespace) he doesn't exactly blame the scrappers. Which is nice of him, I personally wish them eternal damnation in a fiery pit of hell, but each our own.
This leads us down the slippery slope of course, where we could discuss being a community and not acting like animals, or being decent business owners and require ID from people who are attempting to scrap things like brand new furnaces and tons of new wire and copper pipe etc. (because flippin' really, it came from SOMEWHERE) but I suppose tilting at windmills is pointless and really I spent some time discussing becoming an adult and so I should at least attempt to act as one.
So to Aaron Pearl and his wife, owner, founder and proprietors of Origins Beanery I doff my cap to you and offer whatever limited support I can which may be pushing a broom or posting a blog post that no one will read.
You never know though, right?
An Open Letter to Everyone I Know
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Dear Everyone,
I am literally crying as I sit down to write this. I feel compelled, through desperation, to put myself out there even though I haven’t really written much for a public audience since finishing school. Never before have I felt at such a loss to put a positive spin on one of life’s many tragedies. Generally speaking, I feel that even when bad things happen, you can often use the experience as a springboard for learning or for making changes that can ultimately lead to improving your life. I don’t much see the point in regret beyond using past mistakes as a guide for what to avoid moving forward. I have recently found myself in a spot where I don’t think I can turn things around without seeking assistance, even though I don’t have a lot of experience asking people for it. The fact is, I need your help to make this situation positive rather than letting my recent experience of trying to do something that I thought could be of benefit to both myself and my neighborhood end by retiring my aspirations and fleeing from urban living.
Last night, as we got home from helping a friend in a BBQ competition, we pulled off the freeway to see our building on Lorain surrounded by police. We pass it every day on our way home, the next street over, but unfortunately we hadn’t been inside since we had a new furnace installed a few weeks ago. We were about to find out that our little café-to-be had been systematically cleaned out and destroyed by scrappers over the last few weeks. Despite the fact that the building inspector was able to track us down at our home to tell us that we couldn’t work on the place without proper permits, the police never attempted to contact us even after being called out multiple times from neighbors informing them that the place was being looted. After we told the police that we were the owners, they told us to wait while they made sure the place was clear and then we could take a look around inside. Apparently, last night, one of the neighbors had called because she saw someone trying to make off with a washing machine though the alley. Walking the perimeter, we noticed the broken window and the busted door in the back of the place, a small teaser of what we would see inside.
We walked inside and what we found was mind-numbing. Everything we had worked for was destroyed for what probably amounted to a fraction of what we have invested in the place. Obviously all the copper had been taken, and not just what was exposed, but many walls, ceilings, floors, and fixtures had been broken to take what was behind them. Much of the wiring, including all the newer work we had done since purchasing the place a year ago November, was stripped. Both flights of stairs in the back had been broken, the top flight assumedly while carrying out all the appliances from the apartments upstairs, refrigerators, ranges, and microwaves. Or they might have been busted taking either of the big metal tubs or sinks from the bathrooms. The broken and missing basement steps are likely explained by the awkwardness of removing the new furnaces we recently had put in, or possibly by the deep freezer that was also missing. Anything of any value had been taken and the property was generally destroyed, save for the washing machine sitting in the back drive way, left by the gentleman the police had in custody, who I would soon find out lived on the same street as I, just a few houses away.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t completely blame the people that cleaned us out. First of all, I understand that this was a desperate act done by desperate people. I sympathize with those of us who have to live in poverty. Not that I don’t want to take a club to the scumbags that did this to me, but, on some level, I understand that people can succumb to their circumstances. There is also some degree of personal responsibility to be acknowledged. Living a block away, I could have been at the property every day to make sure no one was vandalizing the place. I could have made sure to install some kind of security system or at least have boarded up the lower back windows to make it more difficult for people to get in and out. Certainly it is my fault that I let the insurance lapse in January, believing that the company would no longer insure me anyway as they told me an inspection was necessary and my place was in a chaotic state as I was doing a lot of the work myself and with people I knew. But hindsight is 20/20 and I can’t do much about those mistakes now besides try to move on and not make the same mistakes again.
Unfortunately, this letter comes solely from me and not my wife and I, which some of you may find strange. Typically we are partners in most of our adventures, but she is overwhelmed. She feels like the city has finally beaten her and is ready to give up. I can’t say that I blame her as I too was finally willing to admit defeat as the reality of the situation began to sink in this morning. But then my stubbornness kicked in. This is something I want to do and I will not let this setback stand in my way. That said, we are now well behind square one. It took all of the savings we had at the time to buy the building. We were slowly doing work as we could afford to, turning to friends we had in various industries who all gave us generous pricing on the excellent work they did, and for that we are very grateful. Now the building is in shambles and all that work has been effectively destroyed. It is currently in a state far worse than when we bought it, and recovery is just not something I think we’re able to handle on our own.
As an instructor of Philosophy, I cannot make this entire letter an appeal to emotion, though I have been somewhat overwhelmed as I’ve had less than 24 hours to let this all sink in. Rationally, I think there are ways to turn this situation around and bring about a positive outcome for both my wife and I, and for the people and organizations I am now asking for assistance from. We now have a somewhat gutted space in the Antiques District of Cleveland proper, ripe for ideas and desperate for resources from those who want this area to move in a more positive direction. Beyond that, we want to work with organizations that can stand to benefit from using our space as an example of the creativity and innovation that is possible when good ideas and a little money come together. Just off the top of my head, here are some possibilities:
• Utility companies could provide funding in order to create examples of various new ways of generating power, harvesting solar/wind energy, capturing/reusing water, as well as ways to ways to control the climate in more energy efficient ways.
• Gardening, hydroponic, and roofing companies may have an interest in helping to design and create a rooftop garden or greenhouse, again to serve as a model of what can be done with a flat roof and perfect access to the sun.
• Organizations interested in creating lower impact businesses with less waste could help to design and fund programs of recycling and composting that can be used to show other businesses how to make this important transition.
• Designers, artists, and tradespeople of all types can donate time and materials toward different aspects of the space to show off the kind of work they want people to know they can do.
• We have always envisioned a community kitchen in our basement to help facilitate other local entrepreneurs, an idea I know is ripe for funding, particularly on the near west side.
• Aspiring chefs and other local artisans may have an interest as they can use this as a space to try out new things as initially, we really only wanted to open for breakfast and lunch, allowing for various pop-ups and one-offs in the evenings.
• Perhaps local colleges or other neighborhood schools can use this as a way to generate practical knowledge for their students in terms of design, vocational experience, etc.
Besides ideas like this, I’m certainly not opposed to being picked up by some lifestyle network, i.e. HGTV, Food Network, etc. as I think our story is a pretty fantastic one, chock full of comedy, tragedy, and featuring a couple of great characters. The female protagonist is an urban farmer, recent graduate of the market gardener training program run by OSU extension and member of The Kinsman Farm, one of the largest examples of urban farming in the country. The male protagonist is a renaissance man, an instructor of philosophy at two local colleges, a small batch coffee roaster and farmers’ market vendor, an amateur producer of fermented things (beer, kombucha, yogurt, kefir, cheese, and sourdough) and an avid poker player, who recently added stand-up comedy to his repertoire of hobbies/occupations. Both are veterans of the hospitality industry and aspiring restaurateurs. (Obviously, I’m completely unbiased.)
I write this letter as an appeal to anyone who can help or knows someone who can help. Initially, I’m reaching out most of all to people who can help get the word out, friends connected with local government or affiliated with local development organizations, those involved in news media or entertainment, or anyone who knows someone like this. Ultimately, I’m most interested in working with individuals and organizations that can realize some benefit by helping this dream to become a reality. Please share this with anyone you think might be interested and feel free to contact me at aaron.pearl@gmail.com with any advice, contacts, funding opportunities, offers, etc.
Sincere thanks,
Aaron Pearl
Proprietor, Origins Beanery
