Despite one of the biggest snow storms to ever hit Pittsburgh, Barb and I opened on Saturday, a little late, (10am instead of 9am) but nonetheless, we were here. Luckily, we had power and nothing was damaged during the storm unlike some other unfortunate businesses. Being able to walk here is one of the many perks of living & working in the same neighborhood and it was quite a sight in East Liberty that Saturday morning. A Beautiful white canvas, with just people walking up Negley, I felt as though I had been transported to the old days. All of us, bundled up and smiling & actually acknowledging each others presence, actually acting civilized while witnessing randoms acts of kindness. Funny how chaos always bring people together. I really thought we should have closed that morning, my mom called me & said even Starbucks is closed! But Barb insisted we opened, and so while mumbling & grimacing, we walked. We opened at 10am and by 11am, the place was packed with members of the community so thankful they could get their hands on a warm cup of coffee. I read on Twitter that Aldo Coffee in Mt. Lebanon had the same situation. We were the Friendship community Hub for the day and it was nice. Sunday was a little slower, I imagine most people were over mother natures' beautiful bountifulness and diggin' their car out & getting ready for a crazy Monday, and it was....We've had a few people ask us why we'd want to move so close to our "work" and this my friends, is one of the many whys.
We do not miss commuting back & forth, sitting in downtown traffic trying to get across that darn Fort Pitt Tunnel. It's been a little over 3 months that we live in the neighborhood and our stress & anxiety level has lowered drastically. While walking home from closing the shop a little early Monday evening down Negley Ave, I had a deja vue of what used to be a daily routine. Aggravated & tired, behind the wheel, cars jammed up another with no where to go, and here I was, just walking and smiling, I think my ass can handle a little frostbite.
And now we must prepare for even more snow, and although it's not the greatest for business...the feeling of being part of the community is priceless. We're glad to be here to keep all of you caffeinated & warm.
I can't believe all the snow and how high it is on the windows.
Posted by: Lindsay | February 09, 2010 at 11:22 AM
Yeah, Saturday was a blast. Not sure if you felt same way, but it was kind of nice to drop guard and just be a competent neighborhood coffeehouse without feeling the need to overpresent the coffee.
Of course that feeling faded by Monday ;-)
Posted by: rich and melanie | February 09, 2010 at 05:24 PM
Yep.
Posted by: Amelie | February 10, 2010 at 05:30 AM