It is centered on the Ravenswood community in the rockin' 47th Ward, specifically the Damen corridor and surrounding area.
Honored and delighted to announce that The League of Awesome Possibilities submission won the GOOD maker grant. Absolutely not possible without all of your support. Truly impressed and thankful for all of the friends, family, friends of friends, neighbors, and stumblers upon who took a moment to vote. Not possible without all of you.
Now, I need to take some plotting time to finalize some dates and collaborate with our first dinner site.
Cheers!
Melanie
3rd May 2012
Notes: 1
An inspiration for possibility potlucks.
One last appeal for voting. It ends tomorrow around lunchtime (12 PST).
Feeling very fortunate and grateful to have creeped to the top of the GOOD maker voting in the last 24-hours. Hoping I can hold the lead to make this all the more possible (and awesome!).
I’ve always been told to not rest on my laurels, so here I am with an end of week appeal: give me your vote for these delightful community development dinner parties in unexpected places.
You can vote through Monday (yes, I changed the date on the banner for those of my friends who have creative interpretations of time).
Cheers!
And this image below is Facebook ready for those with a big enough love of the project to support it as their backdrop photo. Also works as an email header. :)
I can’t believe I nearly missed this. This Sunday, April 29th is the 16th annual Ravenswood Run, an annual neighborhood 5k.
The proceeds from the Ravenswood Run benefit the Ravenswood Community Services Food Pantry at All Saints’ Episcopal Church and the Student Health Centers at Lake View and Amundsen High Schools. It also is an official Fleet Feet race, a Chicago favorite shoe store with a location in Lincoln Square.
The League of Awesome Possibilities started because the Awesome Foundation of Chicago believed in an idea. Their initial funding (with a lot of elbow grease) started a series of cafe installations, a small business valentine initiative, and the connections and conversations that led me to this point. Without them, a whole series of delight would not have been possible.
In my original proposal, I included the idea of hosting possibility potlucks in empty storefronts in my neighborhood. The reality was, it took a lot more conversation, trust building, and frankly, serendipity to get to the reality of hosting these events. The first grant went into the cost of making this prelude of projects happen. (and I am sure glad it did!)
That is why I am coming to you with an opportunity from GOOD magazine to help make that initial concept a reality. Paired with the remaining Awesome grant, this extra $500 will help clean, brighten, and make dinner party ready an empty storefront in the Ravenswood and Lincoln Square neighborhood. This dinner party will host, business owners, leaders, and neighbors to chat about what is needed to keep our neighborhood vibrant.
Help make this a reality by voting here by Sunday, April 29th! Spread the word!
Anne Merritt is the woman behind The Perfect Cup, our local coffee shop just steps away from the Damen Brown Line stop. She has created a friendly business and space that invites people of all backgrounds to the table to have a cup of joe. A mom, daughter, and wife–– you can see Anne’s family hanging out in the shop on any given day.
Beyond creating a favorite hangout, she also is a community-minded business woman who invites neighboring small businesses to work together. Anne holds a special place in my heart as a connector and cheerleader of The Awesome League and first host of the awesome/possible installation. A few weeks ago, I was able to grab a few insights from her in this short interview. Enjoy!
Let’s start with the basics. How long have you lived in the neighborhood? And how long has The Perfect Cup been around?
I first lived in this neighborhood when I first arrived from the Philippines almost 37 years ago. I opened the coffee shop in 1997, 14 years ago.
The Perfect Cup has a perfect little location off of the Damen stop. What inspired you to pick this spot and this neighborhood?
My inspiration to open the coffee shop simply came to me because the corner location caught my eye and the brown line L was just across the street. Coffee just seemed perfect for this little corner of my “old hood”.
Whenever I stop into The Perfect Cup, I never know if I am going to see a freelancer having a meeting or a few munchkins on a playdate. How would you describe your clientele?
My clientele is very diverse. And I am so proud to say that! I never wanted it to be exclusive to young people or young professionals only. We have many seniors, students, working professionals, and of course parents and their young coffee-lovers-to-be.
What role do you think The Perfect Cup plays in the neighborhood?
The Perfect Cup serves the neighborhood well in that it’s a good meeting place, neighbors see each other every day and get to know one another better, if someone needs something (dog sitter, apartment, used car, and the like), I can always refer them to someone in the neighborhood who has exactly what they’re looking for.
As a small business owner, what do you see as the challenges and opportunities of establishing yourself in Ravenswood?
The only challenge I have, and always had, is the constant changes the city of Chicago imposes on small business whether it be new taxes, increased taxes, new licenses, etc. I think it would be harder to start a business now than 14 years ago.
It seems like you have very friendly business neighbors, something I notice throughout the neighborhood. How would you characterize the small business community in this area?
Over the last five years, I am happy to see the number of other small businesses arrive on Damen Avenue along with myself such as the antique store, candy store, stationery and gift stores, salons and restaurants. I would like for us to work together to keep our neighborhood beautiful and vibrant for all our businesses. We all take pride in the fact that we are a small businesses and are always willing to help each other out.
This week I had the unexpected pleasure of partaking in the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce Wine Stroll. As opposed to events in the past, this event was extended past the usual zone of Lincoln Avenue to include the Damen corridor and Rockwell area. A lovely trend indeed.
Anne from The Perfect Cup hosted registration at her coffee shop to kick off the evening. We drew a sizable little group of revelers on Damen. Amy’s Candy Bar, Aroy Thai, Duet, Eye See, Fountainhead, Hoard, Orange Beautiful, The Perfect Cup, and Ravensgoods all hosted tastings and stayed open after hours for guests. I became an unexpected photographer and captured a few shots for the chamber. Moreover, I had just a lovely time mingling with neighbors and discovering new great businesses (Big City Suds, Uptown Soda Bread Co., Imagine Health).
The Chamber host events throughout the year and provide services to local businesses to make our neighborhood more vibrant. Be sure to check their calendar for the summer.
After a lovely coffee and chat with Anne, the owner of The Perfect Cup, we’re happy to be invited to the Wine stroll tomorrow sponsored by the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce and Provenance. We’ll be hanging out at registration at The Perfect Cup with buttons, smiles, and neighborly conversation about possibilities. A great way to unwind from the day.
There are still tickets available! Learn more about the three stroll areas – Damen, Lincoln Square, and Rockwell– and how to buy tickets here.
Chicago is known for many things: hot dogs, comedy, windy politics, green ways, baseball, the list goes on. From an urban perspective, one of the most memorable are its neighborhoods. This patchwork of connected but distinct communities within Chicago is colorful and diverse– each one retains a bit of its history and cultivates its own culture.
There are a variety ways to represent these ‘hoods, and many talented artists in the city have taken their shot at it–whether it be through logos, type, or posters.
Studio Chris takes the poster approach, capturing Chicago neighborhoods with color and an iconic piece of art or architecture. He recently contacted me to give a virtual thumbs up to The League of Awesome Possibilities and offer a print. A delightful (and dare I say, awesome) surprise. I can’t wait to see some neighborhood pride hanging in my living room. The Ravenswood and Lincoln Square prints are rockin’ and I have a soft spot for my old neighborhood, Andersonville.
Thanks, Chris!
Spent the afternoon collecting and snapping some photos of the local business valentines that rolled in. While we didn’t make our 250 goal, we got a ton of lovely and thoughtful valentines to deliver all throughout our neighborhood. With a print delay and heavy travel, we couldn’t be more thrilled.
We heard a lot of interest in the concept of local business valentines or a “You’re swell” note initiative for local/small businesses that is holiday agnostic. Definitely have the supplies to launch this next year and are looking forward to the possibility of expanding the idea to other neighborhoods and cities.
It is easy to ponder on the concept and think of its potential for expansion. I can think of it being a great classroom activity to get young people thinking about the places they live and learn and the importance of small businesses.
Had a lovely set of coffees last week with neighbors about the next phase of this project and can’t wait to get started.
Are you interested in The League of Awesome Possibilities?
