Appendix E-J

It’s hard to believe Everyday Joe’s has been open for 7.5 years. Over the majority of those years, we have hosted at least 2 shows a week: on Friday and Saturday nights. However, with changes to the music scene, vision of the use of the space at 144 S. Mason, revised thinking concerning the stewardship of volunteer resources, and a handful of other things…we have decided to cut back from 8-10 events per month to 4-6 events per month. We desire the events we do host to be a service to the community, to the musicians playing the shows, to be energizing to the volunteers running the building that night, and to be enjoyable to you. Filling a calendar for the sake of filling a calendar does not accomplish those things. Having a handful of shows & events focused like a laser beam on these things is what we see happening…and our short foray into this territory has proven a good foray to this point.
From the beginning, we have wanted to be a place where the nationally recognized act can be seen & heard in an intimate room and a place where the local act can begin to play. This is still part of what runs through our veins. While the cutting back of formal concerts will limit the number of acts who play from the stage, we are very excited to be working with a few new friends from the local music scene to put on a weekly Songwriter Circle. Beginning Wednesday, February 9 at 7 pm in our auxiliary room downstairs, musicians honing their craft can gather to share songs, compliment each other, and critique each other. It will be facilitated and structured in a way that will give everyone in the room a chance to play. We’re quite excited.

What do you think of all this? Let us know.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Well hello.

First things- apologies for the 6 days of silence. It has been a week full of recovery from an exciting and exhausting first half of 2009 and a week full of the beginning stages of special surprises that are no less exciting than the first half of 2009. Plus, we covered the skylights with some burlap to help keep the room cool during those days of hotness…and it works. You will no longer sweat while sitting in Everyday Joe’s. Unless you just sweat a lot, in which case I can’t help you but I will give you a hug.

Back to the first half of 2009…

At Everyday Joe’s, we tend to operate on semesters. This is the result of being in a college town. When I look at a calendar, I see semesters and breaks…though I have been a college graduate for 5 years now.

This past semester (January – May 2009) has been a special one to me & I believe probably most folks at Everyday Joe’s. Our volunteer base (love them) continues to grow and improve as they continue to take more and more and more ownership of the place. Diana Sitzman (EJ’s assistant director whom I call Boss) is due most if not all of the credit for this. She loves the volunteers like lion cubs…and as a result they make superb drinks but more importantly they believe in 144 S. Mason and what happens here.

Our board/leadership team/synergy directive ambassadors (we’re not sure what to call it) has also taken ahold of things like the things had horns. A bar redesign is in the works (shhhh….it’s a secret) among other special surprises all aimed at being able to serve our community – that we hope to become our family – better.

Really, I am lacking proper words right now. Perhaps you should just believe me when I say that you – our peoples – have made the first half of 2009 mighty fine. Thank you.

We love you so much.

love.

chris & everyone at Everyday Joe’s

Popularity: 58% [?]

In case you don’t know, Everyday Joe’s coffee house…and everything else that occurs here at 144 S. Mason…is volunteer powered. 95% is a precise estimate.

On the Everyday Joe’s front, this includes our baristas, our sound techs, people who help clean around the place, and the folks who take your money at concerts. It is not uncommon to hear people say that they FEEL something different about this place, and a large part of that is our volunteers. They are here because they want to be, not because they need to pay rent. They are a family.

As the semester wraps up, please take a moment and say thank you to a volunteer at Everyday Joe’s. They are truly amazing and we love them very much. In fact, here are several ways you can say thank you:

• Bake them a snack
• Bake them multiple snacks
• Give them a firm hand shake and slap on the shoulder
• Make them a craft of some sort
• Say thank you

If you’re ever interested in volunteering, just come in and let us know. We’ll train you and we’d love to have you in the family.

love.

Everyday Joe’s

Popularity: 10% [?]