Stop the Commercialization Clarification

Hello Fayes patrons. I wanted to take this opportunity to clear up any issues around the wording of the petition we had at the store. I want you to know that it was penned by Chicken John and approved by a collective of neighborhood people, myself included.  In hindsight I understand why the wording could be seen in an awkward tone and why people were against signing. I apologize if any one felt mislead, but it was more a feeling of we had 5 days and we needed to get your attention. Many people still are unaware of the situation happening at the park. After last Thursdays hearing, Rec and Park are still moving forward with the idea of having two 8' x 12' food trailers, powered by generators in the park. Tomorrow night at 8:30 people are meeting at Dolores Park Cafe to express their views, wether it be for or against this idea. A list of commissioners, local merchants, neighbors, supervisors, and even James Freeman (the majority share holder of Blue Bottle) himself have been invited. There was a string of emails that transpired and I had not been getting much sleep the past weeks and I composed the following email. I hoe it helps in clarifying my point of view as I feel the local blogs are not reporting everything. I thank you in advanced for reading.
As ever, Mike. (co-owner of Fyaes)

10/9/10 4:22 am

Its 3am the night before open studios and I should be getting some sleep but somehow my mind will not stop as this issue with commerce in the park has been on my mind consistently for weeks. So excuse me if this seems to ramble, but I hope you continue to read,  After having an email exchange with one of the commissioners (and I will say she alone has returned some faith in the political system and I want to thank her for so willingly converse with me) I realized that one of the main problems in this situation is all the grey areas and how one chooses to define something like the words public, national, and local. It also is grey because there is the issue of trying to define “what is commerce in the park?” and if you can define would you want it there? Then there is also the grey area of communication, was enough done to notify about the original RFP and once that RFP was out was the proper channels of communication carried out. I want to call to the attention the idea that Blue Bottle was referred to as a National Chain. First most I personally would like to apologize for using the word chain as that would apply a series and in the case of NY currently there is only one location, but I will still stand by that they are a national company. Whether it is their own flag ship stores and operation or a wholesale accounts I hope we all can agree that they have a larger then just the Bay Area presence. And I also hope that with all due respect to Mr. Freeman he can understand that once one reads “Kohlberg Ventures invested with James to expand this model to new cities” and the SF and NY ones have been established that they would assume there is intent to continue to grow even larger. Similar to our once local Peet’s Coffee and Odwalla, who is now owned by Coca-Cola, Inc. I would also like to say that Mr. Freeman should not be faulted by his success to run a great business but at the same time I don’t think someone like myself who has chosen to remain small, local and independent should be faulted as well. We all make choices in our lives and I can only speak for myself, and I have chosen to have a business that allows me enough free time to concentrate on my passion for creating art. Though Mr. Freeman’s success may come into question in one of those grey areas of does it makes a good fit for a public park? I think the slippery slope you could run into is by setting a precedent of what is a viable business for the Rec and Pak program. Fortunately Blue Bottle was able to afford the $25,000 trailer equipped with a $15,000 espresso machine (I admit that amount is hear say but know that espresso machines can be that much or higher), but will every vendor be able to?  Is it fair to alienate the original small vendors with pushcarts from obtaining such permits? For some of them $1000 a month is an enormous amount and could not afford this. Yet they are the ones responsible for creating this trend of food cart culture we all so love. With the current permits in place these small pushcarts are then in jeopardy of being reported if they try to sell in the parks. (On a side note: again I can only speak for myself but the question of those vendors who already sell in the park came up as examples of commerce and I think it was a valid point, But I also think it is valid to point out that they do not have a daily dawn to dusk presence, nor do they operate on generators. And if there was an easy permitting process maybe there would be also an easy way to have them contribute to the Rec and Park?) It seems that with Bevan Duffy trying to create a policy to make it more accessible for these small vendors to obtain permits and operate that this Rec and Park program is premature and may cause complications in that process and with future applicants to the Rec and Parks RFP. Speaking of that RFP that brings us to another grey area. It was stated that this RFP was well known and well publicized, that it was sent out to 1000 possible candidates who may have interest. My question is if this is to be true, why is there a resounding, “I’ve never heard of this” and why did only 18 people of those1000 notified apply? Also what were the criteria to be notified? I don’t think any other coffee house in the Mission Area knew about this opportunity at all. I would also like to point out here it is this very thing that may have sparked the accusation that James Freeman and Phil Ginsburg have an already established personal relationship. I think that issue at some point should be addressed and clarified, as that may be a conflict of interest. In this RFP it states, “Before entering into permit agreement for the operation of a pushcart in any neighborhood park, the Department will conduct a community outreach process to determine the appropriateness of such a use in the park.” It also states that the cart will be 200 ft from a bathroom facility for health code reasons and the vendors will be responsible for trash in a 150 ft (not 100) radius. So the one thing it seems that there is no grey area on is that Rec and Park did not conduct the proper amount, if any, community outreach and therefore I do not think should be honoring these permits. They said they were fully revokeable, they should be revoked and the process should be started over and conducted fairly with the proper outreach. Unfortunately Blue Bottle and La Cocina got caught up in the middle of a mess that could have been avoided, and hopefully temporary alternative urban/downtown (like the Portland model Nick Kinsey proposed) locations can be made so they can begin making revenue. Thank you in advance for reading this… its now past 4am and I should say good night. Best Michael McConnell (co-owner Fayes Video and Espresso Bar) Ps, I also want to point out in my opinion this all seems counter intuitive towards the Mayors plan of making more public spaces. These pop up places in urban areas are great, but taking already green public space and privatizing it seems unnecessary.

This baby works here

N.I.N.Y. -- Year 2 has begun.

Hello, San Francisco.

I haven't posted in a while owing to the fact that school has started, I've resettled in Brooklyn, and I've been working at a new job. There's a lot going on. But I felt like it was time to post some updates on the Fayes Blog. 


I am now living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and loving it. On average, it's an older neighborhood, so there are a lot of children, dogs, pregnant ladies, and strollers. It's a refreshing change of pace compared to the neighborhood I go to school in, where there are scores of fashion-focused young folks. 

I found my apartment on Google Maps street view. That's where I live on the second floor!

I'm also working in Park Slope, at a "Patisserie." It's very chill, kind of reminiscent of the Fayes vibe. I make coffee, take sandwich orders and serve pastries. I've been told Steve Buscemi lives in the neighborhood and that his brother loves the place I'm now working at, so if I'm lucky, I'll get to serve Buscemi a brioche in the near future. A brioche for a Buscemi! Like Fayes and Dolores Park, Park Slope has its own unique cast of crazies. I'm getting to know them all. Looking at you, Sock Man! 


I have met Claudia of the Magnetic Fields and Lee and Tyler, brothers, of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Claudia actually came in with a Fayes regular who was visiting friends, including Claudia, in New York and just happened to come in to my new work for a treat. It's a small world. 


School is going very well, I'm especially loving my painting class. I have great professors this semester, all of them. Well, maybe except for my logic professor. She's nice enough, but not a very gifted public speaker. However, as in the case of my drawing professor, it is pretty inspiring learning from someone who was a friend and classmate of Roy Lichtenstein. 


You might have heard we had a tornado here. We did. It apparently touched down in Long Island, Queens, and Brooklyn, (which I guess technically are also Long Island). I'm convinced its point of contact in Brooklyn, or at least one of them, was here in Park Slope. Actually, that's probably been confirmed by now, but I just don't watch TV. I was underground, on the subway, during the 5 minutes it took for the storm to plow through the neighborhood, so I emerged in the middle of quite a scene. The Brooklyn Industries store 5 blocks from my house was hit by lightening, resulting in a clothing rack flying out the window onto the sidewalk. Brown stones had fallen off the signature local brownstone houses. And a half block below my house, a tree was uprooted and blown down on top of a car. The damage was considerable. Pretty exciting, all in all. Luckily, only the floor lamp in my room had been blown over, nothing more serious than that. Last autumn, a tornado touched down in Central Park. Then this. I'm bringing the extreme weather to New York. 

This is a photo of the tree damage down the block from me: 

I've been hearing quite a bit about the vendor cart in Dolores Park debate. I'm not going to express an opinion as I feel too removed to have an informed one. All my information comes second or third hand, from mostly reliable sources to be sure, but I just want to wish the neighborhood well while it's in the middle of this kerfuffle. I know just how much Fayes genuinely cares about the well-being of the park and neighborhood and I think you're all setting a good example by exercising your right and ability to speak out against that which you see as detrimental to the neighborhood. 


I miss you all very much. Congratulations to Rachel and Matthew on recent birthdays, I hope they were fun. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you. And a huge congratulations and hug and slap on the back and noogie to Matthew on becoming a married man. I'm wishing you and Kate all the good things I can think of. 

Nina

PS Patrick. Can I expect my own copy of You Can't Outrun The Cat in the mail after the release date? Steve and I are waiting expectantly. I don't want to have to hold off until I come home, I need to know how it ends!

Need help!

Comedy Hour!

Tonight is a movie night

I was feeling kinda mushy today until a favorite customer came in and cheered me up.  She told me to watch a good movie tonight.  What movie will it be?  Teenwolf, of course!  Man, Micheal J. Fox as a middle-class teen with middle-class teen issues finds out that not only does he have a $5 haircut, but that he is also a teen WEREWOLF!
I mean, can it get worse than that?  First off, Boof is crushing on him and he just likes her as a friend, then he's got Styles who won't stop scheming and getting him in trouble and his Dad just doesn't understand!
Not to mention the sound design is fucking awesome and MJF break dances and car surfs to the Beach Boys.  Come on.  this movie is great!

Taste the CAT! Halloween 2010

Cat up-date

You Can't Outrun the Cat~2010 Trailer

Up-Coming Chills!

Life is cyclical and you never know if something will retain it's prior glow.  That's why Midnight for Maniacs is so special to me.

Jessie Hathorn Ficks, who has been curating film since he was a teenager, brought to the screen last night a new 35mm print of Back to the Future for it's 25 year anniversary.  I was 3yrs old when it was released, but I was there none the less.  In fact, my father assures me that B2TF is the first film I ever saw.  Jessie taught me film history is a way that makes you feel less like a student and more like the quiet friend who let's the more enthusiastic friend ramble.  He speaks of cinema with a very loving lilt, maintaining that good and bad are very subjective.  One of his favorite films of all time: RoboCop.

A childhood fantasy of mine, and I still hold it today, is to edit all three B2TF's together into one long movie.  My solution to the Jennifer problem is to start with the original and at the end of part one bring in Elizabeth Shue.  I think enough time would have passed by then to not be bothered by the change in Jennifer's appearance.  Growing up this was never possible even on SLP with VHS.  Now with multilayer DVD's and DVD ripping software realizing my childhood fantasy doesn't seem so impossible.

                                  For Christmas my grandmother, who lived in Florida and whom I had never met, would send my older brother and I remote-control toy race cars.  And in the back yard we would recreate the scene where Doc Brown sends Marty back to 1985.  We would use wire coat hangers and jam them into the back of the car to simulate the "big pole and hook."  Usually by New Years we had run enough electricity into our toy DeLoreans that the back melted away and we moved on to playing Indiana Jones with the dog.

I've watched B2TF more times than I can count, but always on TV after that first screening 25 years ago.  I wasn't sure if it would be like all the other times, me reciting every line of dialog and pointing out little details to my partner who has only seen it once before, or if it would be something new.  Half way through I started to nod off, something I never do to movies, for fear of missing something, but last night I felt so comfortable there with all my old friends up on screen to watch over me.  I felt the way the character Book describes dieing in Soylent Green, "...going home."

Kudos to Mr. Ficks for recognizing what a wonderful piece of cinema B2TF truly is and kudos to M. J. Fox for teaching me how to fight, love, be a friend and drive really fast.
One last thing, a year ago I read the original screenplay for B2TF.  It was terrible!  Mind you, this is not the shooting script, this was the original that got the ball rolling.  Too much exposition, dialog more canned that infomercials, ridiculous plot twist and so on.  However, it had all the flashy special effect stuff in it.  (You can read it here) It goes to show that the big budget, the marketability, of the film was not what made the movie great.  It was casting, directing and acting.  The story came along, as all good stories will do, from rehearsals and the script was refined to the tightly crafted perfection that it was by the first take.  B2TF might not be as visually dazzling without the speed, chases and explosions, but we don't watch it for that anyway.  We watch it for the details.  Twenty five years later B2TF shines even brighter that before.