for friends only™

Friends Only™ is a space

that provides inspiration
and encourages creativity.
Is it a retail space with
handpicked wares? A used
book store of curated
reads? A live performance
space? A gallery? A snack
bar hellbent on providing
delicious and healthy
sandwiches? A co-working
space? A back-room tattoo
haven? A community hub for
pseudo-intellectuals and
intellectuals alike?
Yep. It is.
 ABOUT

The goal is simple: stay open. O K . E N O U G H B U L L S H I T.

Two-year, five-year, 10-year plans - they can trap you. The goal is to stay flex- W H AT ’S I T GO N N A COST A N D W H ERE DO ES T H E
ible, to use the space effectively and creatively to continuously bring funds in MONEY COME FROM?
and to create a self-sustaining enterprise that can be magaged at arm’s reach,
but owned by the employees/culture it creates. G O O D Q U E S T I O N S . R E A L G O O D. G R E AT, E V E N .

Friends Only™ is meant to evolve alongside its ownership and its surround- A L R I G H T.
ings. Yes, it will have a retail element. A food/drink element. A co-working
element. The honest idea is to get great people to hang out in the same space HERE GOES:
and create some really, really great energy that will inspire and fuel the
growth of our hometown.

The space will also act as the home of Able Company, a branding and design
studio I launched two years ago to help smaller clientele find their legs. It
will become a meeting place for clients. An office for those late nights of
tweaking. And a playground for all the manic ideas that seem to fly off the
desk daily. Part of the values of Able from day one was working with, you
guessed it: Friends Only.

Thus the name. Thus the vibe we’re going for.

Vibe. That’s an important word here. Given that we want to encourage

creativity and inspiration within our walls, we need positivity at all points.
Honesty, yes. But anyone bringing the room down in any way will be re-
moved. All art work. All music. All books presented will mirror our values of
inclusivity and respect.

We aim to provide a warm, smart space for brave souls. That, but a little less
hokey. And just a hint of pretension.

Just a hint. I promise.

Monthly cost: $XXXXX
Breakdown
Rent $6000 (utils in, est.)
/ Staff $2880 (2 x 20hrs.
wkly @ 18/hr.) / Food $15000
(est.) / Retail purchas-
ing $1000 (est). / Me $2000
($500/wk)
 S O, H O W D O YO U S TAY O P E N ?
Diversified revenue streams. Lookout, Steve wore his business pants today.
Let’s attempt to break them down individually, through the order they’ll be
presented in the physical space.
SNACK BAR
Not a restaurant, not a deli, even. We provide healthy snacks, sponsored
through DeskNibbles.com, for re-sale. No item runs over $5.
Speaking of deli’s, though, we can’t not offer delicious sandwiches. Thursday,
Friday and Saturday will offer unique sandwich creations, only 30 made
each day, sold at $5, or $7 for a combo with a healthy can of soda/water and
homemade cookie. That’s right. We don’t fuck around.
So, approximately $250 worth of snacks sold daily, 30 sandwiches sold at $5
for a total of $150 brings us to $400 daily for food alone.
Coffee is free. By donation. Two pot setup at the front. There are enough
coffee shops in our neck of the woods.
Food sales goal per month: $20,000
NEW / USED BOOKS
A selection of new/used books that are carefully curated. New books will be
sold at their SRPs, while used books will go for $5 a piece, 5 for $20, or $20
for art books.
Book sales goal per month: $2500
RETA I L
Again, carefully curated goods will line the shelves alongside our used book
selection. Pottery, stone(d)ware, fragrances, stationery. We only carry prod-
ucts we actually use and can vouch for. That’s the rule. The idea is to bring in
limited amounts, create a sense of exclusivity, and once they’re gone, that’s it.
Friends Only will also have its own retail line of goods, including prints and
stationery and shirts and hats and whatever other idea I wake up with on
any given day. That’s part of the fun of running a design shop under the same
roof.
Retail sales goal per month: $5000
ABLE COMPANY
To that point, the space also acts as the brick + mortar for Able Company.
Meetings will happen at tables while customers peruse. Any important meet-
ings happen within the office proper, but ideally we have a space that fosters
open and honest conversation.
Able Company goal per month: $2500
EVENTS
These will vary month to month. The goal is to bring in interesting speakers,
workshops, put on spelling bees, have a membership-based movie screening
twice a month, exclusive beer tastings, ambient music nights, paint nights
but not those bullshit paintnights. Ideally, these are self-sustaining. No prof-
its. Any event profits go into making the next event better.
Entry is always by suggested donation.
IS T H ERE A FO RM U L A FO R CRE AT I N G S PACES T H AT A LLOW YO U
TO DO T H AT ? A N D H OW DO YO U ENSU RE T H AT A S PACE – A N D A
B U S I N ES S I N G E N E R A L – H A S S TAY I N G P O W E R ?

Sometimes the neighborhood defines what the crowd

is like. But then there are other factors: what does the
space look like? Who works there, and what are they
wearing? What’s the menu like? It’s about taking all
of these things into consideration and putting them
together in a way that gels.

As for longevity: let’s relate that to clothes. I’ve kept

the same style for years – a little androgynous, a little
boyish, a little punk rock. But I like to change the
little things, like shoes and accessories, according to the
season. The same goes with my restaurants. In general,
I’m going for timeless but fresh. Things need to evolve,
whether that means changing the design of a t-shirt or
a website, or investing in new plates or chairs. If the
businesses keep evolving, they’ll stay relevant. And if
they can stay relevant, they’ll stay successful.
 EVENTS

Stay open. As a hub. For the community. Inclusivity rules at Friends Only™, THU FEB 3
however we still make sure that any event presented aligns with our values of LEI F VO LLEB EK K I N T I M AT E S H OW / $15 S D.
being smart, warm, and brave. Trying different things. Not resting on what’s -
easy. Reach beyond the city’s boundaries as often as possible, and always FRI FEB 4
beyond our personal ones. I.C. MOVIES / MEMBERSHIP- BASED MOVIE CLUB
-
Weekly events will be attempted, but again, just as the shop will evolve, so SUN FEB 6
will the weekly ongoings. A M B I E N T M U S I C / L I G H T I N G - 7- 9 P M
-
On the next page you’ll see about a week and a half of proposed activity. MON FEB 7
SPELLING BEE(R)
We have connections deep within the music industry that will allow for -
interesting guests to constantly come through. The goal is to bring in slightly TUES FEB 8
larger acts and have them play an intimate room, with a local cat opening to P R I VAT E E V EN T (S PAC E I S R EN T ED FO R $15 0/ H R. O N
be exposed to a crowd that can support moving forward. W E E K DAYS, $75 0 F L AT O N W E E K E N DS)
-
Invisible Cinema was a beloved haven for movie watchers. Out of the ashes
WED FEB 9
of their demise come the promise of two movie screenings monthly from
PAUL SAHRE BOOK SIGNING / READING
their collection that will delight and potentially disgust.
-
F R I F E B 11
The ambient music thing is a total ego trip. There’ll be a piano in the space,
CL AU D E M U NSO N / $10 S D
and I’m going to want to play it. So for two hours every Sunday I will while
-
the lighting is dimmed and people can come in and get some reading done
SAT FEB 12
while soft piano music happens in the background.
M O N T H LY B O O K S W A P / W . B I R L I N G / C I T I Z E N C A T E R S
-
Book signings, poetry workshops, pop-up dinners, live podcast recordings,
SU N FEB 13
book swaps, and whatever the community needs, I hope the space is flexible
A M B I E N T M U S I C / L I G H T I N G - 7- 9 P M
enough to provide.
-
M O N F EB 14
Again, friends only. No dicks. Security (staff ) will be on-hand to remove any
H E A D S P A C E S P O N S P O R S E D M E D I T A T I O N M O N D AY. W I N D
dickish clowns - and any promoter is responsible for providing their own
DOWN AND EASE INTO THE WEEK. 8-9AM.
certified security personnel.
 RE TA IL / BOOKS

KITC HE N GA LLERY / ST OR AG E
PR EP

3/4 WA LL DIVIDE R GIAN T TA BL E

RE TA IL / BOOKS

CO -W OR K

RE TA IL / BOOKS
 M CLOSED
T 11-7
This is an opportunity
to do something special.
W 11-7
To help assist the sea
change this city has long
sought T
after.11-7
We’re almost
there. Just need a nudge.
F going
And we’re 11-9
to do with
with a little help from
S 11-9
our friends.

S 6-9
friends only™
 O K — SO W H AT N OW ?

Money v. time.

I’m going to be digging in hard, both sussing out

the viablity of the project and bulldozing as if its
happening at the same time. Either way I can make
use of the materials I’ll be gathering.

In the meantime, if you’re at all interested in

participating in any way, shape or form, please feel
free to email me at steve@able.company

No phone calls. I need paper trails. (And the phone

gives me anxiety, for real).

This is gonna be good. Buckle up.

NO DICKHEADS