Firestorm Cafe & Books, downtown Asheville's cooperative community event space, will celebrate its second birthday on Saturday, June 5th. The cafe, located at 48 Commerce Street next to the Thirsty Monk, has provided affordable organic fare, a unique selection of independently published literature and free computer and Internet access since opening on May 24th, 2008. Operating under an innovative, worker-owned, “anti-profit” business model which aims to use business income to sustain community resources, Firestorm hosts daily events for a diversity of local residents.
Community members are invited to attend Firestorm Cafe & Books' Second Birthday Celebration on Saturday, June 5th. The festivities will include live music by Pearl McCabe and Gwyn Waller from 7pm until 10pm. The cafe will offer free samples of its excellent organic and fair trade coffee selection throughout the day. Additionally, throughout the month of June, the cafe will extend 20% off all orders of two or more sandwiches.
To coincide with the start of its third year, Firestorm Cafe & Books is planning to expand its organic, vegan menu to include a variety of exciting new offerings. Lunches benefit from the addition of homemade, gluten-free falafel while maple-sweetened granola adds flair to breakfast and throughout the day. Thanks to a recent partnership with East Asheville's Ultimate Ice Cream Company, Firestorm customers will now be able to beat the Summer heat with WNC's best hand-scooped flavors, root beer and iced coffee floats.
Firestorm Cafe & Books was hatched through the Mountain Bizworks' Foundations Program in consultation with the Southern Appalachian Center for Cooperative Ownership (SACCO) and draws inspiration from the worker-owned business model of Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse in Baltimore, MD. Firestorm is cooperatively managed by its twelve workers who have committed to dispense 100% of profits through a community grant program once they are able to compensate labor with a livable wage.
Over the last two years, Firestorm Cafe & Books has hosted over 450 unique performances, forums, workshops and films in addition to regular open mics and poetry slams. More recently, a partnership with downtown's Blitzkrieg Games has resulted in a weekly board game night at which participants can sample a variety of games, both classic and exotic. Firestorm's stage has been graced by artists Pamela Means, Taina Asili, Jill King, Devon Sproule, and the South French Broads among others. Presentations and workshops have included events with retired colonel Ann Wright, community economist Thomas Greco, LGBTQ activist Wayne Bensen, the Beehive Collective, Spatsfest, and environmental scholar Kirkpatrick Sale. Firestorm provides regular meeting space for numerous grassroots organizations such as the Asheville Homeless Network, Asheville Rising Tide, Copwatch, the Asheville Local Exchange and Trading System, the Asheville Currency Project and the WNC Linux Users Group.