And so almost four months to the day since the Bike Guru Cafe first pulled open the shutters for the launch party down at the Hidden Kiosks in Colchester, Wednesday evening saw a celebratory farewell from outside the old bus station. But it wasn’t the beginning of the end – more like the end of the beginning.
Matt Lawford – Mr Bike Guru supreme in Sunny Colch – has been trading out of the old Bibby’s building for a month longer than the original Creative Co-op lease. The success of his combination of coffee and bicycle repair workshop skills led to the extension. Why bring to an end something that is clearly bringing so many positive benefits to Colchester?
The aims of the Kiosks however has always been to be a testing bed for any sustainable hyperlocal business. You get to experiment with what the demands of your business are, and then hopefully take this out to the wider Colchester community.
Which is exactly the same position that the Bike Guru now finds himself in. *shhh* – new premises have been sourced in a more central location – all that is required now is a little extra financial backing. Even amongst all the partying on Wednesday to celebrate what Matt and his team have achieved, the Guru was still happy to talk about figures and funding. This is a very sustainable hyperlocal proposition. Matt just needs a little extra boost on the financial front to carry the Cafe through to the next stage.
As for the partying? Well, it was much similar to that opening night back in October. A cold Sunny Colch feel was in the air, but that didn’t stop local folk from gathering, listening to the outdoor music and generally having lovely, lovely conversations about what can happen, once you are give the space to experiment with the hyperlocal economy. Imagine what would be possible with this set up during the balmy summer months around Britain’s Oldest Recorded…
A cigar was on standby by the coffee counter, all ready for the Bike Guru to allow himself a small moment to take in all that he has achieved. It was a much-deserved moment, but Matt is all too aware of what he needs to do to keep the coffee and cycling message alive in Colchester.
This is so much more than a traditional cafe set up where you go to get a mug of builder’s brew. Behind the counter was a poster for Fairport Convention (blimey!) @ColchesterArts, a selection of T-shirts by local designer Willy Wolf for sale, plus various pamphlets and flyers for other local organisations that are trying to create a positive change around our town. Put simply, The Bike Guru Cafe has created its own inclusive community.
That party feel of some four months ago felt like a different era altogether. Some things worked, others didn’t. But the Bike Guru kept going, proving that if you have the drive and spirit, building from the bottom up is possible within this town. Hyperlocal networks succeed where organisations fail.
If u want to get something done set up network, slow it down set up an organisation#lno10
— William Perrin (@willperrin) September 25, 2010
Time to grow and spread the coffee and cycling network around Sunny Colch.
Chapeau!
