Sad News For Yous...
11/25 will be the last full day of operation at Berkley Coffee’s 11 Mile facility. We will hold normal business hours and carry out all confirmed public and private events through that date. We will open for one final public event (UPDATE: 3 now actually, Mon 11/27, Tue 11/28, Wed 11/29). Further public and private events are cancelled. I will contact each party with a confirmed or discussed event to reiterate this over the next few days. Remaining PUBLIC events are posted at calendar.berkleycoffee.com
I will continue ROASTING AND SELLING BEANS on our website. The roaster will eventually move back to my home (so cottage foods beyond that point, not MDARD-licensed product. Silver lining: bag pricing should reduce by some degree.)
Anticipate a wind-down of other offerings. Core coffee/tea/chocolate drinks will remain available for the balance of our hours.
We have a LOT of cans/bottles/retail to clear out, all of which are 25% discount from today.
We have a LOT of coffee/kitchen/music GEAR to sell. Please inquire price on anything you see to admin@berkleycoffee.com.
Two distinctive artworks are for sale. (Buyer responsible for pickup AFTER completion of public hours). Make an offer:
- Stained glass by James Cadwell
- Acoustic art panels by Joey Salomon
If you have a business interested to take over our space, email a brief description and I will raise consideration to the building owner. It’s a killer space, heavily invested, in a blooming business strip. You’d be fortunate to walk into this.
So, WHY are we closing? A few idioms come to mind: “Go for Broke”, “Live Fast, Die Young”, Nothing Gold Can Stay”. Following two years of personal investment and a challenging buildout, we’ve sweated two further years growing a team that is nearly keeping up with the large facility, heavy events, and dishing our goods at a speed the general public finds acceptable… which is to be proud of! People increasingly love the coffee, love the N/A angle, Google reviews are outstanding, the social community is beyond valuable, events always picking up, and there is an absurd amount of ongoing inquiries and positive feedback on the venue. We had next moves in mind (re-do the menu, beef the prices, great events in the pipe, etc). It’s enough to keep you going, beyond the everyday stresses, exhaustion, and knowing the budget isn’t getting there. And it has kept coming since making the decision, seems like heavier than ever. Five minutes ago somebody said “I’m so glad this place is here.” Last night we had a stellar concert with two local + two touring bands… one comment I remember being “you’ve got a great thing here. We can’t wait to come back.” There is currently a local romantic composer playing the grand piano for fun, four staff happily pounding out lattes, a regular customer leaning on the espresso machine chatting with them. It’s enough to make you scream! But alas, I’m HARD out of money, with the budget still far from sustainable. I’ve finally grabbed enough time the past few weeks to breath, catchup, analyze, and accept that there’s no way.
Thanks to everyone who has participated: staff, customers, performers, contractors, and other partners. We’ve delivered roughly 60,000 standout cups of coffee, hundreds of rights-licensed concerts at reasonable prices, and everyone involved has been respectably paid without fuss. We set out to create a unique, refreshing, and even sort of challenging space for the community. It’s been rewarding to see that appreciated. Our style wasn’t for everybody, but at least we were distinct.
In loving memory of this beast I’ve put down, I will begin compiling an album:
A Slice of Time and Space: BCOPD Retrospect 2021-2023
Contents and physical medium TBD (vinyl is the goal, but at least a packaged CD or USB.) Carmel Liburdi has agreed to sketch cover art. I have a backlog of 100+ full concert multitrack recordings to scour for selections, and I’m certain there are diamonds in there. Performers will be contacted for permission.
ALBUM PRE-SALE FUNDRAISER IS ACTIVE NOW ON OUR WEBSITE: Retrospect Album
There is also A FINAL PIECE OF MERCH FOR PRE-SALE, a la CBGB: Retrospect Tee
Consider these items a way to return support for the venue’s dedication to the music community. These funds will critically support me through the closure process!
It’s been an intense adventure. Please support us in finishing it with pride and good energy. Fill the place for these last events!
Sincerely, Kenny
