Renee probably knows more than me about this, but this is the first tangible signs of progress I’ve seen at the property in since Feb 9th when we blogged about Spin closing. Very exciting!

A little background:

For those of you who don’t know, there was a little neighborhood grassroots effort to emphasize the importance of a community gathering spot like what Spin provided.  A lot of people personally spoke with Tom.  And Buckingham neighbor, Michael Brown, presented a letter to him in support of renting the space to a business that would still provide a gathering place and what the signatories of the letter would be willing to do to support it.  Adam and I were among the 18 people who signed the letter.  (If anyone is interested in seeing the letter, let me know.)

We all know and respect that Tom’s primary focus will be finding a tenant that is financially stable.  We do, however, think it is extremely important for him to know that his decisions have an impact on the neighborhood, so he will choose a tenant that fits the character of our beloved Park Ave.   He was very open to our ideas and appreciative that we took the time to talk with him and draft a supportive letter (thanks again, Michael).

Things we have heard:

• Tom was inundated with interested tenants.  He removed the “for rent” sign while he was on his previously planned vacation, because he would not be able to field more calls.
• Tom plans to ask for formal proposals and will make a decision when he returns.
• Boulder coffee is moving in.  Yes, Boulder was one of the many businesses that looked at the property, but no decision has been made.  Michael was in Boulder today and they do not have any news.
• We have heard from many sources that Tom’s inclination is to have another coffee shop or cafe in that spot.

So, there you have it.  We don’t really have any concrete news.  But we rallied to let Tom know how important that spot is to us.

In the meantime, if anyone is interested in opening up a coffee stand in their front yard, there will be lots of takers.

After two days of being unexpectedly closed, I can’t say as this was a major surprise. I had wondered if this was in the works. Retail is a hard business. And coffee is a low-cost item. Particularly in this economy, I could see that people are cutting back on $4 latte coffees. However, I am saddened to see this happen nonetheless. Having a coffee shop located at the end of our block was a MAJOR selling point for us moving back to Rochester. And I bought coffee in Spin every morning on my walk to my business on Somerton St. Additionally, at lunch, the scene inside Spin was always lively and friendly. This is a serious loss to my walkable urban existence.

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