Someday Café fans pack meeting with pleas to keep coffee shop
By Auditi Guha/ Journal Staff
Thursday, July 20, 2006

Customers packed into the Davis Square café Sunday evening sporting
"Save the Someday" stickers during a meeting with new leaseholder Peter
Creyf, who hopes to build a Mr. Crepes on the spot.

    Many hoped he would agree to share the space and let the
14-year-old café remain in the square.

    Creyf, a 41-year-old Belgian immigrant who plans to start serving
crepes there come September, seems quite sure that he does not want to
do business with anyone who may not have the business skills and
credibility he requires, and said the move to sign a lease was a purely
business move on his part.

    "I couldn't wait. However, I am willing to look into a way to make
it work," he said. "It's such a heated issue, and I am sticking out my
neck here more than I should."

    The Someday's lease expired in February. Gus Rancatore, who owns
Toscanini's in Cambridge as well as the Someday, neglected to renew the
lease, and building owner Richard Fraiman did not notify Rancatore of
his failure to renew.

    After several months of hearing nothing from Rancatore, Fraiman
went ahead with a lease for Mr. Crepe.

    Loyal customers, many who have frequented the café since it opened
and know each other by name, packed the coffee shop Sunday evening
during a meeting organized by an alderman and café employees to
discuss its fate.

    Many wondered if Creyf could continue The Someday and have his
crepes made there side-by-side, much like Rancatore serves Toscanini
ice cream in the café since he bought it.

    Rancatore admitted his oversight and has offered to share the
space. Creyf is adamant about not doing so, even though Mr. Crepe did
previously share space with Dave's Pasta and once intended to share a
space with a flatbread pizza company.

    "The Someday's not here because it was mismanaged. I don't want to
go into business with someone like that," Creyf said. "If this doesn't
work, try it somewhere else. I would like Someday Café to be there -
here or somewhere else."

    According to Rancatore, Creyf and Fraiman earlier said that they
would let The Someday remain if Creyf found another place that he
liked. Later, Fraiman said he would not rent to Rancatore. Then Fraiman
said he would not let Mr. Crepe sublet to The Someday.

    "This is the oldest café in Davis Square," said patron Ben Simon.
"I would be extremely upset and disgusted if it closed."

    A petition circulated by loyal customers who do not want to lose
their favorite neighborhood café tallied up 1,300 signatures over the
weekend and was presented to Creyf.

    "Give us a month, and I'll come up with a couple [of] thousand
more," said Mo Lotman of Somerville.

    "This is my family," said Chrissy Texeira of Medford, who brings
her son in to play in the cafe. "To me your business is not as
important as the people who come here."

    Darrell Karbott wondered if Fraiman was going get paid more by Mr.
Crepe than the Someday and addressed the larger issue of gentrification
in the square. "Twenty years ago, Davis Square was a scary place, Today
it seems like it's become a victim of its own success," he said. "It's
troubling."

    Organized by Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz and attended by the
mayor also sporting a "Save the Someday" sticker, this is an issue the
city will continue to help resolve even though it involves private
parties and their business, said spokesperson Tom Champion.

    "I think The Someday is an important part of our community,"
Gewirtz said. "It is a rare breed and with the rise of chain stores,
there aren't too many comfortable, locally operated coffee shops like
that."

    While she feels the facility needs some work, she believes the
community and city should do what it takes to try and preserve it. She
also believes the community would welcome Mr. Crepe in the square as
long as The Someday remained.

    Meanwhile, the cafe was not receiving hot water for more than a
month until Rancatore paid plumbers to fix the problem. E. Puopolo
Plumbing Contractors of Arlington said the hot water heater was not
installed properly.

    Mr. Crepe has also been seen on the premises with his contactor
already taking measurements.

    "There are a variety of paths being pursued by The Someday, the
workers and the customers. At this moment they are parallel," Rancatore
said. "A lot of people would like The Someday to stay where it is."