A comic book cafe

In recognizing that Chatham has a history of entrepreneurship, I found this concept of a comic book cafe interesting. In Philadelphia, a young lady Ariell Johnson - who understands "geek culture's importance to marginalized groups" - is about to open up this community oriented establishment.

I realize that over years there have been attempts at having an independent cafe on our part of town. For example Englewood has Kusanya Cafe and Chatham had the now closed Flecks Coffee. It's a great idea to have a shared space that's community oriented and certainly offer beverages and snacks for that purpose. The concept of a comic book cafe is very unique, and hopefully a success for Ms. Johnson in Philadelpia.

As much as I don't often enjoy being called a geek having been a Star Trek fan in addition to many comic books you can firmly place me into that category. Many of us are eagerly anticipating the release of the new Avengers movie coming out later this month. In addition to that I'm definitely going to see that Batman/Superman movie coming out next year.

Could such an establishment be welcome in our community? Check out this video from the future owner and let us know what you think of this unusual concept. Also refer to this future establishment's FB page.

Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse from MoolaHoop on Vimeo.

Tribune: 'Vulnerable' cafe makes a stand in a tough part of town

We've been hearing about Kusanya Cafe - 825 W 69th St - over the years from its conception to the eventual opening. I'm glad that such an establishment is in the Englewood community and hopefully it will be there for years to come. All it took was someone with the vision to make it real. We hear from the brains behind the operation:

When Phil Sipka and some of his Englewood neighbors opened a cafe a year ago this week, skeptics had suggestions.

How about rolling security gates over the wall-size windows? Or a permanently locked door, with a buzzer to buzz customers in? Maybe a nighttime security guard.

Sipka and his neighbors had a different idea.

"Let's be vulnerable," he said Thursday, sitting at one of the tables he made from reclaimed wood. "I think people respect intentional vulnerability."

The cafe is named Kusanya, a Swahili word that means "to gather," and though it's in a neighborhood that makes news most often when someone makes trouble, it has managed to stay safe since it opened last Nov. 19.

And more about Mr. Sipka:

Sipka, 34, is a man of several talents. A native of Alma, Mich., he studied at Fuller Theological Seminary in California. He honed his coffee skills at the popular Robust Coffee Lounge in Woodlawn. "The Steve Harvey Show" featured him (video available on YouTube) quitting that job in song, backed by a doo-wop group.

When he moved to Chicago seven years ago, he immediately settled in Englewood, just a block from the cafe. He is white in a neighborhood that is predominantly black.

"A lot of people thought I was a cop for a long time," he said. He laughed. "I'd be the worst undercover cop ever."

He built Kusanya's coffee counter and wooden tables himself. He studied YouTube videos to learn how to hang a door.

"I've always liked making things beautiful out of things people throw away," he said.

You know, I wonder what brought him to Englewood. Why Englewood for him instead of other parts of the city?

Either way he had a vision and gained the support of the neighborhood. He had some help from the community getting this place ready for business.

I'm going to put this on the list of places I should visit on the south side.

Launch of storytelling series at Kusanya Cafe

We were alert to this event at the Kusanya Cafe sometime last week. The event will commence on Thursday. More details below with a flyer as well!

The Frying Pan Stories: Pages Ripped From our Cookbooks Thursday, April 17, 2014

• What: The Moth GrandSlam Champion Stephanie Douglass and a medley of other storytellers will be sharing tales about the food we eat- as well as how, where, and with whom we eat- sparking a conversation about all things food within communities of color.
  
  Kusanya Café, a vibrant, colorful new space that is Englewood’s first sit-down café will serve as the backdrop for the launch of this new contribution to Chicago’s rich storytelling (aka Live Lit) scene.
  
  This event is the first of a storytelling series by the IHC called Living in Color, which will cover topics of food, migration, radical love, and identity in intimate spaces throughout Chicago.
  
  
• Storytellers: Lily Be is a moth GrandSLAM champion and hosts her own storytelling event, Stoop-Style Stories in Chicago’s Humboldt Park at Rosa’s Blues lounge every 4th Thursday of the month. has been sharing stories since 2009. She’s performed at almost every storytelling event in the city and have been featured on Chicago Public Media stations WBEZ and Vocalo.
  
  Paulette McDaniels is the author of A Deathly Silence, co-author of Achmed's Return: Legend of the Lost City, and has performed at storytelling events around the city, including This Much is True.
  
  Duo Yang is a science fiction writer, and has been working on the sci-fi audio drama Our Fair City, or hosting the monthly storytelling show "A Month Of."
  
  Sonya Marie Harper is a community organizer in Englewood


• When:
  Thursday, April 17, 2014
  6:30-8:00pm


• Where:
  Kusanya Café
  825 West 69th Street
  Chicago, IL 60621


• Cost: Event is FREE to the public, though reservations are required. Reservations can be made by visiting www.prairie.org or emailing: events@prairie.org


• Who: This event is the first of a storytelling series by the Illinois Humanities Council called Living in Color, which will cover topics of food, migration, radical love, and identity in intimate spaces throughout Chicago. It is produced with the support of the Chicago Community Trust.

Chicago Patterns: A coffee house for Englewood

Photo @ Kusanya from Chicago Patterns

This article starts with the Kusanya Café which opened for business last month in Englewood located at 825 W. 69th St. It showed what it took to get that establishment up and running after four years. Then the rest of the article talks about the history and hopefully the future of that often beleaguered neighborhood. So basically, the people of Englewood and the founders of Kusanya have a long road ahead in revitalizing Englewood  from within considering the scarcity of financial resoures. I would encourage you all to read the whole thing.

See Potential at Kusanya Cafe

Coming up this weekend!

Join the board of the Kusanya Cafe and others as we partner with See Potential for a special beautification project in Englewood! See Potential installs large-scale documentary photographs onto blighted buildings to visualize the development plans of community leaders, organizations, and local entrepreneurs in Chicago's South Side. See attached flier or details below!

• See Potential @ Kusanya Cafe
  Sunday, December 9th
  2pm-5pm
  At the offices of Imagine Englewood If - 730 W. 69th St.

With your support we hope to open Kusanya Cafe by the spring/summer of 2013, so stay tuned...

The cafe is expected to open at 830 W. 69th Street. The flyer is below:

Save the Date: August 20, 2011 IMPORTANT EVENTS IN THE 6th WARD

Save The Date: August 20th, 2011 will be a busy day in the 6th ward:

The Thomas Wortham Family Educational Walk
Join the Wortham Family, Thomas Wortham Education Foundation, Chicago Police Department , CAPCC and others as they walk from 75th King Drive to Cole Park (85th King Drive) to Stop The Violence in our community and raise awareness on the value of education.
Starts: 9:30 am
Cost: Free

GCA Host Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy
Where: Carter Temple 7858 S Wabash
When: 11:00am
Cost: Free

The 6th Ward Back To School Picnic
Join the Honorable Roderick T. Sawyer, Alderman of the 6th Ward for the 1st annual 6th Ward Back To School Picnic.
Where: Tuley Park 90th King Drive
Starts: 10 AM to 6 PM
Cost: Free


Chatham Yard Sale Flyer (1)
Chatham Yard Sale
Where: 80th Michigan
When: 8am- 6pm Sat and Sun
Cost: Free to enter

Coffee & Cake Benefit for the Kusanya Cafe

When:Saturday, August 20th

Where:Hamilton Park Cultural Center 

513 W. 72nd Street

Time: 4pm-6pm

Cost: Free-Donation Requested

Cole Park Classic

Where:Cole Park 85th King Drive

Time : 12:00 pm

Cost: Free