Shutter Tea Café
Introduction
Dear Friends,
I'm happy to see you look up this project and get to know "What the-?" is going on. My name is Anastasija and I'll guide you through this HUGE Project that combines cafe and Youth Centre.
The project is called "Shutter Tea Cafe" - I took out "Shutter" from photography terminology, due to being photographer and actually having ART as a big part of this place; "Tea" - literally, we'll have a wast selection of different teas to choose from, as well as it's CAFE - therefore the ending is "Cafe".
The name itself is giving out the concept of involving both Art and Food/Bakery in it, yet as a contemporary twist - it shall also have place free of charge for youngsters.
About me? Art & Design is my life, it does goes to the shore of writing a lot, but we all have our perks, don't we? Alongside me there's my husband, Oleg (He says that there is a great way of pronouncing his name right "Oh! Leg" - goes best at getting his name right.), the person of mighty brains - the document wiz and psychology mage!
We're a geeky couple - being all cuddly about gaming/animation/comic books/manga/great books and some crazy TV shows, and we wish to add it up in our cafe. Because it's purely awesome!
Yet we care about community in here, about the kids and young adults who're having no place for them to grow freely, indulge in sciences and arts they wish to be a part of. So we really want to change that.
Much Love,
Anastasija
We have the youth waiting
Before this project began we went through a bit of length to gather up teens and young adults.
I have asked them about the places they go to - they all stated that local cafes are expensive, the centre for kids is costly, so they mainly stay at home. Otherwise they "chill" outside wandering around town. They literally have no place to be in if it's not home. Although there were complaints about home being quite a tough place to be as well.
So I decided to just round them up and take them out to places that would be less costly and available for us to be in. Still, they have to pay for their time there, which is sad.
But still, when they attend - they have the fun of their life chatting and playing music, terrorizing Xbox, having long chats and plainly smiling and laughing. That's what I wish to accomplish - their smiling faces, radiant, bright and enjoying life.
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Summary
This project is about combining community, art and coffee. Great main objective is to make youth centre for teens, kids and young adults that is totally free.
This centre will have facilities for kids to study programs on computers that are hard to get even in schools; they will have photography\filming room, dance studio, book stands with literature in English, Russian, Lithuanian and many other languages for youth to advance their knowledge and attain more practice in their studies. Game room will be included with Xbox, PS4 and board games. There will be a kitchen corner with coffee machine, tea and snacks, so that they’ll have something to refill them during their productive time.
To keep everything free for them – the café downstairs will be using percentage from sales to upkeep centre. This centre is aimed for kids and young adults to have place for them to grow, additionally providing information and help to them.
Not many are lucky to have pocket money, so they can’t spend time for fun or pay for extra classes they wish to indulge in, or learn things because payment is essential to many.
I wish to have enough programs, information and possibilities available so they can learn languages, use professional software for film, design, music, animation, photography and many more.
There will be teachers coming in to give lectures for free, psychologist and social worker visiting to help them in need.
Government does not provide enough for youth, so we wish to change that, we wish to help youth see world brighter, grow confident in skills and abilities, see everything differently and become change of this contemporary world.
Café will host customers with love and care. It will have sandwich stand with homemade sandwiches and baguettes, hot sandwiches included. Also as a “personification” in addition, Café will include homemade sweets: cheesecakes, muffins, croissants, cakes and many more.
Some sweets will be made in idea related or influenced by movies, games, anime, comic books, books and manga. To enrich the experience there will be seasonal and event themed food, that will be served. It will be related to different cultures and influences.
We decided to create events like “stand up” nights, “live music” events with musicians that are local as well as from different countries, also the “battles” between the Make-up/Hair/Nails stylists, Designers and Artisans, Fashion Shows will be included too, as they’ll mostly be hosted once every 3-4 months. Such events will mainly be free for anyone to attend and see (In some cases we’ll have a 2-3 euro fee for entry – which will add up to prize pool of winner, depending on event).
Participants will have a great set of prizes for their work and contributions. Rewards such as flight for a week to holiday destination, special café card with options of free food for certain period of time, special events created specifically for the winner, online promotions and much more.
One of the most “magical” workshops/events hosted shall be food based. Consumers will be able to create desserts or gourmet food with help of Chef and Café Staff. Chefs that will participate in such events/lessons will be mainly from abroad, so that food will be as authentic as possible.
Such events will encourage youth and grown-ups to try new ways in cooking and enjoy time spent learning something new.
This sort of events will engage consumers in more art diversity and will show them the differences and wide range of interests that cover art world.
As a slight perk of Shutter Tea Café – there will always be some sort of exhibition going on inside: paintings/photography/digital design art pieces hanging on the walls, 3D art bits here and there.
One main thing that will be available only here will be the special merchandise with plush toys, keyrings and other bits that are replicas of our seasonal and thematic sweets and food.
This merchandise will help maintain youth centre.
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With all this going on we still will maintain the airy feel inside, so the atmosphere won’t be clustered up, in some cases like overdose of furniture or any other items compilation – we won’t have that. We shall keep it modern and easy acceptable. So that customers will feel at ease, able to relax, enjoy their stay and share the experience.
Why so much?
We do know that the amount we request is ginormous, yet there is a good reason for that as well – place that we selected is in more than critical condition. It is abandoned for years, but it is in a nice spot that is accessible to most by being in the middle if the town.
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This place looks like something out of the horror movie on the inside with no flooring, sacks of sand from who knows when, it is all clustered up inside with builders rubbish and needs a tear-down and full restructure. (and this is where the amount is so high)
This place is quite costly, even though it's in such condition. Then the restructure work will follow - which will also take up quite the amount.
Then the needed technology and furniture - which will be less in cost than the building and all its perks.
The goal is to make it a cafe for first two floors and two floors of Youth Centre and exhibition gallery.
The Cause
The Centre will be a great platform for youth to get more knowledge, get information, consultation and help, furthermore - it will be a place for them to be. Right now there are no free places for kids and young adults to stay in this town. Local government funded centres are costly, many can't afford it.
I wish to make it for them. I want them to have somewhere to be. I know how hard it is to come from below average sort of family. It's tough, it's hard, you count each cent, you do your best, yet not always there are people to admire your hard work, reward you or give you chances to manifest yourself even further. For this cause I really want the local youth to have everything for them to become what they wish to become, or for some - to find themselves.
Cafe can greatly help maintain the life of centre. Also it will allow kids to try out work there as part-timers if they wish to get work experience within catering.
With many events that we will host - we'll widen the sights of kids. They'll see that art has more to it, that there are so many other great things about each work. Doing our best - we'll see to young adults and kids to have mentors in their selected career path.
We're just a cafe that really cares and wishes to change the community, that wants to make the difference.
Risks
For what we see - there are none. Construction will not take too long.
Legal matters are all easy to deal with. All prep paper work for the project was done and we just need the final step to be accomplished - funding.
