When Charlene Boyes and her colleagues saw me arrive, panting and wheezing after a last-minute dash across the icy town square they must have thought I'd come along to get some coffee and a donut, what with my distinctly un-business-like attire and inky-faced toddler in tow. Trouble is, to my jeans, sneakers and a clean sweater I'd added ice walkers, a red puffy jacket, a blindingly bright orange safety vest and headlamp, and the effect was less than coordinated. I immediately grabbed some of the snacks on the table and shoved them at Adam to keep him quiet while I talked to Charlene, so I did feel like a bit of a nutcase. There were no other dirty babies there. Just men and women wearing clean clothes.
Once I'd removed my comprehensive collection of safety equipment I was able to settle down and talk to Charlene. Once I'd finished gushing about the work I'm doing on the Multicriteria Mapping project and mentioning SilverStripe at every opportunity, she explained that the center is mostly about helping people starting small businesses, with advice and help with business plans, marketing and so on. There's one-on-one assistance, and there'll be courses and workshops, round-table discussions and 'opportunities to network with other entrepreneurs'. Mmm. Parties.
The thing that most impressed me was a green sheet Charlene showed me that sits next to each of the two laptop computers that are available for people to use for research (the only other publicly available computer in town is at the library). The sheet has three or four headings describing a topic, and under each, brief details of just two or three websites. She explained that there's so much out there that people are often overwhelmed by lists of books and websites, and she reckons they'd be better served by being shown just a few handpicked resources. Indeed. This sort of attention to detail and minimalist approach bodes well, I would have thought.
Another impressive thing was the fancy schmancy table in the center of the room: very rustic, 'distressed' looking. Ironwork, and a glass top that Adam was very puzzled by. I told Charlene how much I liked the table, and the matching chairs with pretty red cushions. 'Oh, we pulled that out of Nate Walker's basement', she said. Ah, hence the distress. It's just polished rust, I guess. The center is based in the old school building that houses the NEMO (Northeast Missouri) RPC (Regional Planning Commission) and the new Café. Alisa Kigar, chair of the Kirksville Chamber of Commerce, told me how weird it was that the Café lives in what was her third-grade schoolroom. A muddy-colored map of the US still covers half of the the south wall. I like that.
I watched a very big wooden pair of scissors cut through a very long red ribbon: my souvenir of the event is a little piece of that ribbon, of which I'm very proud. Charlene gave a little speech, telling us that "Several people have asked if they can come here and eat. Well, not really, but they'll be able to find nourishment here of a different sort: ideas, support and friendly faces to help them set up their new business."I hung around for a while chatting... wouldn't you? Sleepy baby, warm room, nice company, free food. I talked with obstetrician and talk-show-doctor Randy Tobler and others about getting some sort of local food project going. He and my friend Alyson Ewald down the road at Red Earth Farms and the folks at neighboring Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Rutledge have overlapping interest in this mission. I'm keen too. Anything to help keep money in the local economy, and anything to have people eating fresh, local produce. Alyson has a vision of "100% of Scotland County residents getting 100% of their food from within 100 miles of Memphis." She's really talking about just essentials, not luxuries like chocolate, peanut butter and so on. And maybe it'll happen in fifty years or so: "Hopefully before I die, anyway!" she told me on the phone. Farmers' Market? Brand? Directory? Website? A grocery store back on the town square in Memphis? All of the above, I imagine.
I left the Open House buzzed and brainful, with a couple of leads for web development work, a possible hour-a-week web clinic mooted, and all the left-over snacks stuffed into the bottom of the stroller. A good catch all round, I'd say. Especially as it's not even a real cafe.
The Innovators' Café is at 326 E. Jefferson St, Memphis, MO 63555
Phone: (660) 465-7281
Sign up and I'll email you when I write about local businesses in Northeast Missouri.
