Someday Café will CLOSE by August 15

[ron_newman]

I just came back from Someday, and confirmed the bad news. The café has not renewed its lease with the landlord (Chatham Light Realty), and the café's owner (Gus Rancatore, of Toscanini's ice cream) is disinclined to reopen it elsewhere in Davis Square. Unless someone changes his mind, the café must vacate by August 15, and most likely will close around August 1.

If you don't want this to happen, call Richard at Chatham Light, 617-354-4466 , and e-mail gus@tosci.com .

(for earlier discussion, see the post immediately below this one.)

[EDIT (6/27, 12:10 am): after exchanging e-mail and a phone call with Ian Judge, the manager of the Somerville Theatre, I have edited this post so that it no longer says that "the landlord is making them leave". Ian's statement is here. I'm going to leave the phone number and e-mail address in place; they came from a sign at the Someday's counter last night.]

Comments

[srl.livejournal.com]

What reasons does the landlord have for wanting them to leave? Is it a matter of being able to make more money from another tenant, or something else?

[ron_newman]

I don't know the answer to this. Might be worth calling the above phone number and asking, or just asking the folks at Someday tomorrow morning.

[sissychrissy1.livejournal.com]

I think I'm crying a little bit right now.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Well, the agenda says there's another restaurant coming in there.

Doesn't a landlord have the right to do his business?

[ah42.livejournal.com]

Someday Cafe by Jim's Big Ego (http://bigego.com) on more songs about me (http://www.bigego.com/index.php?page=cds&display=349)

You know, I used to go down to the Someday Cafe
That hip little spot down the road
But then I turned around and saw everyone was doing it so
I went and had my coffee alone
But I don't wanna sulk because that's so alternative
And alternative is so mainstream, you know?
Everybody's giving up, everybody's giving up
The evil bean
So I can't drink my coffee and I can't give it up
And decaf is so mundane, you know?
I just thought about blowin' my brains out
But that's so Kobian
You know everybody's trying not to be just like everybody.
Everybody.
Everybody's trying not to be just like everybody.
Everybody's trying not to be just like everybody.
And I don't want to be like that.

[hissilliness.livejournal.com]

Sure. And the community has a right to complain if they don't like it.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

I suppose you're right.

I do write to newspapers when I see stuff I don't like.

I just feel a little uncomfortable about publishing someone's number and suggesting people calll. That seems a little reactionary.

I don't think the landlord owes the community anything.

(Don't get me wrong. I *like* the Someday, but I just don't see something like this happening in many places. In Davis, yes. But it just sorta strikes me as strange.)

My opinion only.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Word.

Someday is a nice, quiet alternative when Diesel is too "much," and it's some people's main cafe. The landlord can evict, but Someday's owner could be made more aware of how valued his establishment is and still would be if the right new space were available.

[seaweedgirle.livejournal.com]

This news hurts. Bad. The laid back vibe of the Someday made it my favorite hangout in the Square.

[sarah-raz.livejournal.com]

How is that "reactionary"? It seems like a reasonable thing to do. Businesses and businesspeople do have a civic duty to the community in which they do business.

[push-stars.livejournal.com]

The community has a right to pass an ordinance that gives you a garunteed amount of time at a table so that you can not be kicked out. You can even pass an ordinance that says "yes", you can order an appatizer in place of an entree if you like. While you might be able to understand those kinds of rules in restauruants you can also decide what kind of community you want here, get involved and make it happen.

Stop the bad side of gentrification while you have the chance.

Maybe these guys can move to Union Square. We have one of those rip-off check cashing rent-a-center like places that I think should go. We work hard to provide affordable housing and then we let places like this rip off the savings we provided for these poor folks.

[sarah-raz.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha

[sarah-raz.livejournal.com]

I haven't really frequented the Someday in years - it seemed to have gone downhill in recent years - but I have such fond memories. Sad.

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

This is an intriguing discussion.

Do business people really have a civic duty to their communities?

I suppose ethically you could argue that they do, but certainly, legally, they don't. A businessman's objective is to make money. (Certainly you could agree he might be able to do that better by working with the community).

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

I agree entirely with you on this. I think it's important to let him know he's appreciated.

I am certainly *not* arguing that the Someday is not appreciated or somehow *should* be closed.

[ron_newman]

I just talked to Ian Judge, manager of the Somerville Theatre. He asked me to pass on the following statement:

"The fact is that the Someday chose not to renew their lease and so another tenant was found, and an effort was made to find a local independent business, which we did. A lease has already been signed with Mr. Crepe, so there is no chance of a change in this situation.

Chatham and Richard are not 'making' them leave. The Someday had three months to renew their lease and they failed to do so. It is not an eviction."

[ron_newman]

Union Square has the Sherman Cafe, which I urge you to patronize so it stays open in that neighborhood.

[unferth.livejournal.com]

True, but if we're speaking in terms of legal duties and rights, there's not duty for the public to be nice to the businessman either. Especially if it's a business number listed above. I'd be less happy about it if it were a home number.

I wouldn't really expect public sentiment to change what is probably a purely financial decision, but there's no reason not to express it. Part of making a business decision that affects the public (which kicking the Someday out certainly does) involves the public bitching about how you're affecting them.

Basically, it's an argument that cuts both ways - the landlord's right to dispose of his property as he sees fit is not limited by my right to tell him I don't like the decisions he's making about his property. There are ways of doing so that are reasonable to restrict (notes tied to bricks thrown through windows are generally frowned upon, for instance) but basic stuff like a business phone number and email address is a long way from harassment.

[prog.livejournal.com]

You may want to update your original post if you've collected new info that contradicts (or significantly refines) what you heard at first...

[ron_newman]

I think I'll just add in a link to Ian's comment; otherwise, a lot of the earlier comments won't appear to make sense anymore.

[magpie-leah.livejournal.com]

One reason it's sad to see Someday go is that Diesel gets totally filled up on weekends and some weeknights to the point where there are no seats left. It was nice to have another option. I suppose there's still Au Bon Pain, Dunkin Donuts, and that little Italian bakery on Highland. Any others? Hopefully Mr. Crepe will be OK with people lingering over coffee and crepes for a while.

[ron_newman]

it's a couple blocks from Davis, but I recommend the Grand Prix Café on Mass. Ave., between Day and Dover streets. Here's a recent article about them, from the Alewife newspaper in North Cambridge.

[ron_newman]

there's also O'Natural's, formerly Carberry's. However, they don't stay open very late in the evening.

[schpahky.livejournal.com]

You and me both.

[sonofabish.livejournal.com]

Well this fucking blow goats. I totally refuse to go back to Diesel after the attitude I got when I wanted to put up a poster for a Katrina benefit there. Fuck it, I'll go to Starbucks.