Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A "Third Place" for Harringay - here's a kinda sorta what a few locals have discussed
Yes it's in the USA. No, it's not exactly what the discussions I've been involved in or heard of have been about. But it's one interesting model:
Crowdsourced innovations are a trend that's taking hold. A new departure on the theme is a crowdsourced restaurant. Enter Elements, an eatery being planned to open next year in Washington. Crafted by a community of some 400 participants, Elements will serve raw and organic locally grown vegetarian food in an environmentally sustainable way.
Although at its heart it will be a restaurant, it clearly sets out to be more too, describing itself as "a third place between home and work for people of all ages, preferences and backgrounds to meet and nourish themselves, the people around them, and the planet....." (Yeah, okay, you gotta forgive the grandiose envirohype)
The Elements project was launched back in February 2007 by Linda Welch, a Washington businesswoman who partnered with local entrepreneur and crowdsourcing proponent Neil Takemoto. Beginning with just 14 members, the community involved in creating the restaurant now includes designers, potential chefs and a local nonprofit called Live Green, which works to help establish environmentally sound businesses, according to the Washington Post.
The concept has expanded dramatically from the original idea for a small cafe to a full-fledged, green-certified restaurant. Members earn points for their participation efforts, such as attending meetings and referring new members; those with at least 1 percent of the total points are eligible to share in the 10 percent of profits allocated to members, the Post reported. Meanwhile Welch, who is funding the project, still has final say on any decisions. Local growers, vintners, brewers, artists, musicians and community groups ultimately will all play a key role in the restaurant, which will also offer classes and lectures and sponsor events.
Elements' crowdsourcing approach has not only provided a way to tap into a broad range of local expertise—one member, for example, is an expert in LEED, the green building certification system—it has also built a loyal base of customers interested in patronising the 3,500-square-foot, community-focused restaurant once it's open.
Crowdsourced innovations are a trend that's taking hold. A new departure on the theme is a crowdsourced restaurant. Enter Elements, an eatery being planned to open next year in Washington. Crafted by a community of some 400 participants, Elements will serve raw and organic locally grown vegetarian food in an environmentally sustainable way.
Although at its heart it will be a restaurant, it clearly sets out to be more too, describing itself as "a third place between home and work for people of all ages, preferences and backgrounds to meet and nourish themselves, the people around them, and the planet....." (Yeah, okay, you gotta forgive the grandiose envirohype)
The Elements project was launched back in February 2007 by Linda Welch, a Washington businesswoman who partnered with local entrepreneur and crowdsourcing proponent Neil Takemoto. Beginning with just 14 members, the community involved in creating the restaurant now includes designers, potential chefs and a local nonprofit called Live Green, which works to help establish environmentally sound businesses, according to the Washington Post.
The concept has expanded dramatically from the original idea for a small cafe to a full-fledged, green-certified restaurant. Members earn points for their participation efforts, such as attending meetings and referring new members; those with at least 1 percent of the total points are eligible to share in the 10 percent of profits allocated to members, the Post reported. Meanwhile Welch, who is funding the project, still has final say on any decisions. Local growers, vintners, brewers, artists, musicians and community groups ultimately will all play a key role in the restaurant, which will also offer classes and lectures and sponsor events.
Elements' crowdsourcing approach has not only provided a way to tap into a broad range of local expertise—one member, for example, is an expert in LEED, the green building certification system—it has also built a loyal base of customers interested in patronising the 3,500-square-foot, community-focused restaurant once it's open.
Tags for Forum Posts: crowdsourcing, local ideas, third space
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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Fast work, Matt!
Well maybe one thing to be learned from them is how to write good publicity. As I said, the idea of combining an online and an offline presence was what interested me about it. The BGBS worked in a similar way in building up online support for their business before they even opened.
But as I said, although Inspiral have made lots of grand promises for users of their business, they may have been better to use ideas like the ones outlined above to give locals a greater stake in the venture and more incentive to make it work. Even if people are only able to contribute a small amount to a venture, they will feel more loyal to that venture than one in which they are merely consumers, no matter how ethical, 'hippy punk' feelgood the business is.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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Yes I agree. This guy has stacks of dosh to invest from his successful festival business so it's a different game. An involved & inspired scheme is what we need to look into .... oh and someone with a chunk of money wouldn't go amiss. :)
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