Asheville's Firestorm Cafe & Books Featured on Zagat.com List

[Dan Clore]

News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo

Firestorm Cafe & Books:
http://www.firestormcafe.com/

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20111230/NEWS/312300033?fb_ref=artsharetop&fb_source=profile_oneline
Asheville's Firestorm Cafe & Books featured on Zagat.com list
11:16 PM, Dec. 29, 2011
Written by Romando Dixson

ASHEVILLE — Firestorm Cafe & Books plans to host these upcoming events:
A documentary viewing, an open mic night, a fundraiser, a technical
support meeting, and a board game night.

Oh, and of course they serve coffee, tea, food, snacks and sell books
while providing a community space downtown. The various social
opportunities and delicious offerings for your taste buds are why a
writer named it one of “The 10 Coolest Independent Coffee Shops Across
the U.S.”

In a blog post on Zagat.com, freelancer Linnea Covington wrote this
about Firestorm:

“Coffee shops have often been associated with poets, activists, college
students and any artistic type looking for a caffeinated connection. And
given that the patron saint of Firestorm is writer and feminist
Voltairine de Cleyre, this stereotype fits perfectly with this cafe in
Asheville, N.C., and not in a bad way.

“The cafe opened in 2008 with the goal to be worker-owned, and for the
past three years, they have achieved that goal while also using Counter
Culture Coffee to make a mean cup of joe.”

Firestorm, at 48 Commerce St., serves all-organic coffee and milk and
vegan sandwiches and soups. In the past, it has received glowing reviews
from The Huffington Post and Ashevegas.com.

Firestorm is worker-owned and operated and aims to promote an economy
based on cooperative libertarian principles.

Elizabeth Mount has been a worker-owner at Firestorm for three months
and previously worked events there. She said she was drawn to the
business because everyone is involved and responsible.

“I wanted to have a hand in making a business everything it could be —
and be ethical about it,” she said.

The worker-owners said it was nice to receive national recognition,
especially since it emphasizes community empowerment over profits. The
Zagat.com list featured shops in Maine, New York, Seattle, Texas,
Colorado, California, Ohio and Oregon.

“We were all very excited and it was a point of validation for us, even
though we’re not looking for that,” said worker-owner Travis Schuett.
“It was nice to have some external validation rather than just from the
community we see every day.”

Ariel Burke, a visitor to the city, sat at a table Thursday evening
inside Firestorm, enjoying some nettle tea and reading on her laptop.
She first patronized Firestorm this summer. She made her third visit
Thursday because she enjoys the environment.

“It’s friendly. It’s easy, and I like the fact that there are no bosses.”


--
Dan Clore

New book: _Weird Words: A Lovecraftian Lexicon_:
http://tinyurl.com/yd3bxkw
My collected fiction: _The Unspeakable and Others_
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-unspeakable-and-others/6124911
Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page:
http://tinyurl.com/292yz9
News & Views for Anarchists & Activists:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo

"From the point of view of the defense of our society,
there only exists one danger -- that workers succeed in
speaking to each other about their condition and their
aspirations _without intermediaries_."
--Censor (Gianfranco Sanguinetti), _The Real Report on
the Last Chance to Save Capitalism in Italy_