 [send page to a friend] [print this page] [pdf] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Awaken Café Brings Burning Man Vision and Community to the ‘Default World’ Oakland, CA – September 12, 2007 – Burning Man 2007 just finished. Every year, people leave Burning Man and wonder how to keep living the life they experienced there. People who have never gone wonder what Burning Man is all about. The Awaken Café story is about a team of Burners opening a business and community space based on bringing the values of Burning Man out into the world. The Awaken Cafe in Oakland is a business growing from the real world values and fun of Burning Man. “Burning Man is a great party, but does it mean anything?” – is a question about Burning Man that the Awaken Café's story would like to answer. Story Summary The Awaken Café team is made up of many long time Burners. The team gained its confidence to open their community venue from their collective experience with Burning Man: the Do It Yourself attitude, the experience in organizing community, the creativity to create a venue for people to express, connect, and using good coffee as a focal point. More than a style, Burning Man gives the Awaken Café team a different business culture that understands collaboration, how to connect and create community, and improvisation. It has impacted their financing, marketing, and relations with banks, government, vendors and contractors. Key members of Awaken Cafe’s team met through Burning Man connections: the founders, our architect, bookkeeper, real estate agent, and our green builder. The Awaken Café is bringing the mad cap, astounding creativity and energy of Burning Man to the serious work of Oakland's urban revitalization -- and doing it with the same discipline and team work it takes to succeed with a major Burning Man project. Celebration, art, entrepreneurs and Cultural Creatives are critical elements to a thriving urban renewal. As Oakland reemerges as a green city, the Awaken Cafe has a 3,500 square foot venue in the heart of downtown Oakland which they are shaping into a place for the community to meet, connect, express themselves, network, and celebrate. Other story themes include: community voice, conscious capitalism, green business, and cutting edge performance. The Awaken Café is a green business, a coffee and tea cafe, an organic beer and wine bar, a fresh and local organic eatery, a community gathering place, an art gallery, and a live music, performance, and event venue under one roof. It's grand opening is planned for late Fall 2007 serving Downtown Oakland (412 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612). The Awaken Café is raising additional start-up funding through their innovative, community friendly “Café Creator Card" Program, online at www.awakencafe.com. Contact: Cortt Dunlap or Will Grant ### |
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