The Great Spring Flood of '09, Part II

ATTENTION: THE CAFE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Dear Friends,
Thank you. Thank you for reminding us why we live here and what we love about this place. It's you. It's all of you. Though trying times like these often make a person feel isolated, you have all gone out of your way to make sure we know that we're not alone; that you are here; that we have been heard. Thank you for all of your your recent comments and emails, detailing your own personal water woes and restaurant battles, demanding to help us any way you can, reestablishing your loyalty, and declaring your inevitable triumphant return to our place.

It is gestures like these that prove to us that we are no doubt kindred spirits. So thank you. No really, Thank you. We are beyond humbled by your generosity, your openness, your authenticity, and your love. So I want to take this opportunity to return the favor and let you know that you are also not alone; that we are here; and that your well-wishes have reached our ears.

I'm not entirely sure what the best way is to go about explaining the recent turn of events given that we still feel in the dark ourselves about much of it. Despite numerous conversations with our insurance broker, insurance adjuster, landlord, lawyer and the like, at the end of the day we feel as though we've been submerged in a pool of confusion and doubt, left to drown in the shallow depths of that murky water that so haphazardly swept into our lives. I suppose, to put it simply, I could start out by staying that our original assessment of the issue at hand was unfortunately not entirely accurate; that unfortunately it turns out that the cafe is dealing with a much bigger problem than just the need to dry-out; that unfortunately it appears that we will not be re-opening our doors as early as planned. Yes, I would go as far as saying that the word "unfortunate" has been forced upon us as our word of the moment.

While we had originally been told by the clean-up crew that they would be able to vacate the premises by Friday, allowing us ample time to try and repair the place, contact vendors, receive orders, and do prep for service on Tuesday, we are learning that the underlying damage caused by the sitting water was extensive, resulting in the destruction of some valuable and essential property.

But, "You have insurance, right?"

Well, yes. Yes, we do, Thank God.

"So you're protected right?"

Well, we should be, right? This was our immediate response to the situation. That's what insurance does, right? Right? Oh, how we wish it were only that simple! Through this painful process we are learning the hard way that even if you do everything right, even if you take all the necessary precautionary steps outlined, that you may not always be protected. Allow me to clarify, our insurance is willing to cover a portion of our losses: partial employee wages, product and revenue loss, and damages to our personal property, but because we are tenants in this building and not owners, we have been informed that our insurance does not cover that which does not belong to us.

Over the past two days we have been faced with the daunting task of evaluating our future and the future of our cafe. This has been an incredibly painful, scary, and frustrating ordeal given how much of our time, our lives, and our selves we have poured into building this business. And who are we kidding? Little Red Bike Cafe is so much more than just a business. In short, it is Us: Ali and Evan, and it is You: ALL OF YOU.

We spent Monday in crisis mode and Tuesday with a sickening pit in our stomachs; the who, what, where, when, and how of it all circling around our heads like a flock of ravenous vultures. I assure you, there hasn't been a moment over the past two days where we haven't been consumed with trying to come up with an answer. After a full 48 hours delving into all of the possibilities, we have arrived at the conclusion that there is very little we have control over at this point. But wasn't this the whole point of owning, investing, and building our own business? So that we could have control over all (most) aspects of it? And here were are now, waiting for someone (anyone) to tell us what's going to happen to us.

In the meantime, we are hoping to take the advice much of you have prescribed us, by trying to view this interruption as an unexpected vacation, and return to enjoying life's simple pleasures like Earth Day, time spent with friends, and the beauty of a fistful of Farmers Market radishes. Again, we appreciate your overwhelming support and we'll continue to update the blog as the news trickles in. As they say, "You'll know when we know."

With much love and hopeful hearts,
Ali and Evan