Learning, Planning, Running Behind

January has been PACKED! Looking back at 2010 to evaluate what worked well and what could work better, planning the calendar for 2011, pulling together our first newsletter of the year (watch for it on Monday!), and preparing for some menu and pricing changes – WOW!

No wonder I’m running behind!

The beauty of working with a community organization that honors thoughtful reflection is that you never doubt that you are participating in the creation of a values-driven system (rather than a market-driven one).

The curse is that such thoughtful reflection, across many individual fronts, takes time and a lot of meetings :)

I think it’s a good trade off, myself.

Watch for more details in our upcoming newsletter. In the meantime, it’s off to Playscape, and then getting ready for tonight’s Friday Night Live – Eleanor Fye, 7-9pm in the front room.

See you soon?

We Need Your Help To Make It Happen In Between

It’s true, there’s a LOT of caffeine around here, but The Commons is about so much more than coffee! We also are about connecting people, prompting conversations, engaging individuals across generations in support and appreciation of each other, and drawing out the many talents of the community for all to see.

AND…we are about books!

In other words, the work of The Commons is vibrant and complex, and it happens in the space between the coffee and the books here on Second Street in Langley.

This brings me to the actual point of this post.

The Commons needs YOU.

The Commons needs you as a customer. You not only contribute to those connections, conversations, and talents, you also help keep our space open for those things every time you buy an espresso, scone, cup of soup, salad, or a book.

And The Commons needs your gently used books. As you’re doing your January de-cluttering, consider passing along those books you loved but no longer need. Over the past year, income from book sales has become a significant part of what keeps The Commons open and available to the community. And those books come from people like you – and in a powerful form of re-cycling, end up with people like you.

You see, it’s a circle of sorts. The community donates books to us. We sell them to the community. The community gets a good deal, resources are shared, and the proceeds go to support The Commons.

 

One of our board members and star volunteers, Sue Haworth, spends about 20 hours each week with her team of volunteer “bookies” sorting through book donations to insure that what hits our shelves is both contemporary (less than 5 years old is our goal) and of good quality.

In 2010, we sold over 3250 titles, thanks to the team’s careful culling, artful displaying, and general enthusiasm for getting books in the hands of the community.

So again, you can help keep The Commons open, available, and strengthening the community – just by dropping by to get your caffeine, or by donating or purchasing books.

What you do on the ends, makes it all happen in between.