Café Sol—the GW student-run coffee and baked goods shop nearby Gelman and Kogan Plaza—has been shut down. Apparently, a ludicrous D.C. zoning law puts the shop owners in a catch-22: it's illegal to remain in their current location without a permit, but they also are not allowed to apply for a new permit. It seems that D.C. laws are trying to slowly eliminate streetcart-operated businesses. Who benefits from this more than McDonald's, Starbucks, and the like?
Street vendors on GW’s campus have always had it rough—the previous businessman whose coffee shop occupied the space before Café Sol had his GWorld membership revoked when Starbucks teamed up with GW for a location in Gelman Library (The Patriot commented on this back in 2005 and 2006).
Time and time again, business regulations end up having a disproportionate impact on smaller businesses, while strengthening or creating monopolies. Starbucks has the power to purchase space in a GW building and deal within the GWorld program. Meanwhile, startup coffee shops with smaller operating budgets and less clout are forced out of the market by regulations or restrictions that giant corporations can sidestep with ease.
If you happened to walk by the area where Café Sol used to be, there is petition you can sign, and there will be a protest next Friday afternoon. Show your support for small business, GW student enterprise, and economic competition—not to mention delicious caffeinated beverages: “Damn the Man, Save the Sol!”
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UPDATE: You can sign the "Sol Revival" petition online here!
Street vendors on GW’s campus have always had it rough—the previous businessman whose coffee shop occupied the space before Café Sol had his GWorld membership revoked when Starbucks teamed up with GW for a location in Gelman Library (The Patriot commented on this back in 2005 and 2006).
Time and time again, business regulations end up having a disproportionate impact on smaller businesses, while strengthening or creating monopolies. Starbucks has the power to purchase space in a GW building and deal within the GWorld program. Meanwhile, startup coffee shops with smaller operating budgets and less clout are forced out of the market by regulations or restrictions that giant corporations can sidestep with ease.
If you happened to walk by the area where Café Sol used to be, there is petition you can sign, and there will be a protest next Friday afternoon. Show your support for small business, GW student enterprise, and economic competition—not to mention delicious caffeinated beverages: “Damn the Man, Save the Sol!”
___________________________________________
UPDATE: You can sign the "Sol Revival" petition online here!
12 comments:
Good to see an on campus media outlet covering this. You can also sign the petition online here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/gwsolrevival/
or show support by fanning them on Facebook!
I'll put the link into the article--thanks!
The Hatchet posts this story 6 hours later with nary a mention of the first campus media outlet to break it.
Tisk, tisk.
I'm not really sure anyone "broke" this story. Anyone who's walked by Gelman since Thursday afternoon should've noticed what had happened. It was even written in big chalk on the ground today where the stand used to be.
Yeah well, we like to pout.
the hatchet never covered your post about the CDs, logan
You guys always credit the Hatchet for breaking stories, even when other outlets get them!
Her loss is the coffee drinking public's gain. The previous owner is back, so we still have a non-Starbucks alternative on H Street and his coffee was/is better.
Why shouldn't both coffee establishments be allowed to exist under D.C. law, Anonymous? If you think his coffee is better, you would still be free to choose.
Hey Logan, thanks for mentioning FoBoBlo, where we wrote about this on Thursday.
http://www.foboblo.com/2009/10/08/news-sol-cafe-shut-down/
I just wanted to add a point of clarification. The previous owner has actually come back with a pizza/pasta vendorship and is not selling coffee. Naucer, the prev owner, in fact bought his coffee from Costco, not a certified fair trade org. So, if you liked it so much better, you can get it in bulk too!
And FoBoBlo scooped both your stories, but at least this is more clear and to the point than the Hatchet. Appreciate the positive support. Get a shirt that says "damn the man save the sol!"
peace & good coffee
Touche, Jared.
But the hatchet didn't mention you guys either.
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