Help Us Launch L-Ink!

The Urban Studio Cafe is developing a screen-printing class for neighborhood youth, in partnership with artist Stan Chisolm. We made a video about this project-in-development as a tool to share our vision and raise funds.

After you watch the video, if you would like to make a donation to help us get this project off-the-ground, visit our Facebook Causes page by clicking here.

Special thanks to volunteer Phil Betts for committing his time and expertise to produce this great video!




Would you like to donate to The Urban Studio Cafe? It's simple and easy through our Facebook Causes webpage. OR, you can send us a check payable to "Grace Hill Settlement House" with "Urban Studio" in the memo line. Please mail your donation to the Cafe:

The Urban Studio Cafe
2815 N 14th Street
St. Louis, MO 63107

We Love Our Customers!

In fact, we love our customers so much that we've decided to name re-name several of our menu items in honor of our most loyal and devoted.

Check out our newly named menu items to see if you or someone you know made the list!

The Jane

Sweet iced green tea (available mid-afternoon).................$1. 50

The Bruce Special

Hot tea and a breakfast sandwich .....................$4.50

The Kal

Bottomless cup of coffee................ $1.75

The Crown Girls Special

Strawberry smoothie with yogurt (substitute pineapple coconut smoothie if desired)...................$3.95

The Amy Corey

Large Iced Mocha and a goldfish cracker cup.....................$4.95

The Veronica

Veggie Sandwich with hummus and bistro sauce...................$4.99

The Courtney M

Veggie Sandwich no hummus, with mustard..............$4.99

The Bob

Veggie Sandwich no tomatoes and a large coffee (available only on Saturday)...............$6.49

The Grace

Java Chip frappe............................$3.00

The Bank of America

Red beans and rice...................$3.00

The Sean

Turkey Sandwich with the works....................$4.99

The Timmy Special

A Chocolate muffin and 2 Cokes.................$2.97

The Douglas Eller

Large latte (available early am)..............$3.65

The V and Graham Special

Large iced chai and a fruit cooler.................... $6.15

The Barbara Special

Large coffee and a croissant.........................$2.50

The Courtney H

Star shaped brownie........................$1.00

The Beauty Shop Special

Fresh green salad with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing................$4.99

The Stephen n’ Sarah

Decaf Americano..................$1.50

The Preethi

Kid’s size veggie sandwich.................. $3.99

The Christina

Lemon cake.................. $1.00

The John

Animal crackers (with hopes that there are plenty of rhinos!)............. $1.00

The Ms. Theresa

Vegan oatmeal bar.......................... $1.00

The Norah Special

Small Skim Latte and a brownie.................$3.55

We love ALL of our customers! If you would like to nominate one of your neighbors or friends, please see Claire.

The Urban Studio Cafe's Birthday Party!

We're having a party...it's a birthday party...it's your birthday party, Urban Studio Cafe...we all love you very very much!

The Urban Studio Cafe is turning 1 year old this week!
Please help us celebrate by eating cake, drinking wine, and checking out new art by Juan Chavez. Suggested birthday present: $6 donation!

WHEN
Friday, September 17
7pm - 11pm

WHERE
The Urban Studio Cafe
2815 N 14th Street, St. Louis, 63106

And over at the Old North Gallery, just 1 block up the street....

Local Brew for Local Food! Join us for local beer and music to benefit the 13th Street Garden with a suggested donation of $10. The 13th Street Chicken coop is also auctioning off the names of the chickens!

Attend both events for just $12. Buy your ticket at The Urban Studio Cafe this week or at the door of either event on Friday night!

It's going to be a fun night out in Old North! One night, two great events!

Help Us Start Screenprinting!

We are currently trying to start a screenprinting program called L-Ink. at The Urban Studio. Our goal is to help youth in Old North St. Louis develop job and communication skills though the creative process--but we still need some supplies!
In addition to making their own work, students will also be creating t-shirts and tote bags for the café and participating in teaching artist Stan Chisolm’s Moneybags project. L-Ink. will also feature field trips to local artists’ studios. The program will culminate in an art opening featuring the work of the youth. Youth will receive the proceeds from the sale of their artwork, as well as a stipend for successful completion of the program.

We need your help in order to make this program work! Please contact Grace (gracewoodard@gmail.com) if you would like to make a cash donation, or can help us with screenprinting supplies, t-shirts, or tote bags.

Cafe Cited as a "Best Practice"

The Urban Studio Cafe was recently cited as a "Best Practice" by Partners for Livable Communities, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit leadership organization that works to improve the quality of life, economic development and social equity of communities.

Partners for Livable Communities defines Best Practices as "efforts of communities across the nation to improve the livability of their communities." Best Practices are listed in hopes of inspiring other communities who are striving to improve their own quality of life.

To read the full article, click here!

Urban Studio Cafe VIDEO

Photo Caption: Cafe youth volunteer Ahmad chatting with the Post-Dispatch

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch stopped by The Urban Studio Cafe the other day to capture our story on video. The day they visited, The Cafe hosted a youth mural project led by artist Kristen Doecke. The video is a wonderful snapshot into our world and our community. Take a few minutes to watch it by visiting the Post-Dispatch website below. Thanks to reporter Elie Gardner for putting together such a nice profile of The Urban Studio Cafe:
http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=15268031

Here are a few additional screen shots from the video:

Photo Caption: Cafe Assistant Manager Louise Chatman talks about social entrepreneurship


Photo Caption: Resident and regular Bruce Smith waves goodbye as he heads home


Photo Caption: Cafe Assistant Director Claire Wolff talking about the roots of The Cafe

Andy Berkhout Performs at The Cafe Friday, June 11!

Local singer-songwriter Andy Berkhout will be debuting new material from his Song Per Week Project tomorrow night at The Urban Studio Cafe at 7:30 p.m. Berkhout has undertaken an impressive project for the year of 2010: recording and releasing a new song for free download every week! We're very excited to have him perform some of his new material here at The Cafe.
Check out some of his music!


There is no cover, but purchases are encouraged!

The Urban Studio Cafe is located at 2815 N. 14th, in the heart of Old North St. Louis!

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Hope to see you there!

The Urban Studio Cafe: A Perfect Place for a Practicum

One of the primary goals of The Urban Studio Cafe is to be a gathering place for the Old North St. Louis community. However, during my first week as a practicum student from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, it became evident to me that The Cafe means much more than that to residents of Old North and beyond.

People value The Urban Studio Cafe. They want to be a part of it. One neighbor donated an incredible chocolate tart for us to do with as we pleased. An area taxi driver offered to make all of our deliveries for free. One young lady dropped off extra art supplies. Kids from the neighborhood showed up to help sweep and clean The Cafe at closing.

The sense of community here is overwhelming--but as an outsider, I still feel welcomed by staff and patrons alike. It's only my third day here, and I already feel like part of the community. I look forward to getting to know the faces and the stories of The Urban Studio Cafe this summer--and eating lots of yummy sandwiches!

-- Grace Woodard, MSW Candidate 2011

Cafe Extends Hours!

Scrumptious sandwiches with a personal touch. Can't beat it for $5!

The Urban Studio Cafe is now open daily 7:30am - 6:00pm!

That's right folks: you asked, we're delivering. The Cafe will now be open an additional 4 hours every day. Come visit us in the afternoon for a late lunch, dinner, or afternoon pick-me-up.

Our community calendar is now flying high (on the wall) with lots of great upcoming events, including live music, a jobs/economy round table, financial literacy classes, art openings, and more.

Credit Building at The Urban Studio Cafe!

Come to a CREDIT BUILDER WORKSHOP at The Urban Studio Cafe!

Do you want a higher credit score? Are you interested in "building credit?" Credit Building is simple and easy!
In partnership with Justine Petersen Housing and Reinvestment Corp, The Urban Studio Cafe is offering a FREE Credit Builder Workshop.

Topics covered:
*Credit is an asset
*How to save money with your credit score
*Taking Care of debt
*AND MORE!


Where: Urban Studio Cafe
2815 N. 14th Street
St. Louis, MO 63107

When: January 7, 2010 from 6pm to 7pm

Questions? Contact Claire Wolff at The Urban Studio Cafe at 314-601-3699 or claireawolff@gmail.com

Gift Cards Now Available!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

Give the gift of coffee this Christmas! The Urban Studio Cafe now has gift cards for sale in denominations of $25, $15, and $5. Your gift of an Urban Studio Cafe gift card will be appreciated on two levels:

First, you'll be giving the gift of top-notch coffee (the best white chocolate mocha around!), our signature pretzel roll sandwiches, and all the other goodies on our menu;

Second, by supporting The Urban Studio Cafe, you're supporting our non-profit mission of community-building, promoting creative arts, job creation and job training, and revitalization of our community.

Stop by the Cafe to pick up your gift cards today!

Urban Studio Café ARTY PARTY!

The Urban Studio Cafe logo in cross-stitch pattern to honor the winter knitting circle that we'll soon launch. It's a great way to build relationships, talk ideas for improving our community/city, and stay warm on chilly winter nights.

Drum roll please!

The Urban Studio Café presents a night of community celebration and art. THIS Friday, December 11th, we will be open from 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. for our ARTY PARTY, giving you an exclusive opportunity to preview our NEW art exhibit! Come see the talent of young, local artists from the Confluence Academy Elementary School on display. We'll be serving drinks both warm and cold.

If that's not enough, there's even more reason to come to Old North Friday night:

A few doors down, local preservationists will host another Anti-Wrecking Ball to raise funds for ongoing legal efforts. Darren Snow, host of KDHX’s “Rocket 88” program, is the DJ for the party. All who attend will be entered into a raffle for prizes from STL Style, St. Louis Cinemas and other local businesses. The venue will be a new community gallery in Old North St. Louis in the heart of the nearly-completed 14th Street redevelopment project. Friday, December 11 from 8:00 p.m. - Midnight. Old North St. Louis Community Gallery, 2700 N. 14th Street. Cost: $10 (includes beer, and other drinks available at cost). The Anti-Wrecking Ball will raise funds for the ongoing appeal of this year’s ruling by St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Robert Dierker that citizens have no standing under city preservation law.

Old North will be rocking and rolling on Friday night!! Please join us for a latte fun!

Some Esteemed Visitors

The Urban Studio Cafe recently received a surprise visit from two inspirational movers-and-shakers, Rick Lowe and Jess Garz. Rick Lowe is one of the founders of Houston-based Project Row Houses, a large-scale development founded on the principal that art can be the basis for revitalizing depressed inner-city neighborhoods. Rick founded Project Row Houses (PRH) in 1993. Through the vision and successes of PRH, Rick has become a powerful thought-leader, inspiring people throughout the country and world. Rick was in town to receive the Skandalaris Award for Excellence in Art Architecture at the "Economies: Art + Architecture" conference hosted at Washington University.

Jess Garz is the Project Manager of Transforma Projects, a collective of artists and creative professionals working to unite creative thinking with the physical and social needs of New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. Rick is on the National Resource Team that helped shape Transforma Projects.

It was great to connect with Rick and Jess at the Cafe. Not only are they social change power-houses, but they're also all around great people. Make sure you visit the links above and check out their inspiring work combining community, art, and architecture.

Community Makes the World Go Round

Caption: Neighbor and friend, Teresa, hosting a yard sale to raise funds for The Urban Studio Cafe

Before The Urban Studio Cafe opened, one of our main goals was the creation of a community gathering space--a space that would serve as an informal meeting place for neighbors to get to know one another, share ideas for the community, work together to address concerns, and generally strengthen the social fabric of our community.

Since we opened in September, the Cafe has done just that. On a typical Saturday morning, the Cafe is full of neighbors, young and old, sipping drinks, munching on goodies, and participating in one of the most important and enjoyable acts of humanity: relationship building.

Neighbors who had never met before are now friends, and friends who hadn't connected in months regularly bump into one another. The Cafe has become the neighborhood living room or the neighborhood "third place," for you sociology buffs.

We keep a library of mugs so that friends and neighbors can enjoy their morning coffee out of their favorite mug. One of our new good friends, Magnolia, travels quite a distance to hang out in Old North and sip out of her cute little cup. And the great thing about The Urban Studio Cafe's mug library is that there are no late fees!



One of our newer neighbors, Ms. Teresa Johnson, moved to Old North St. Louis from Lafayette Square a few months ago and has become a regular in the Cafe. She is in her 70's, and she is a pistol! Ms. Teresa has become such a wonderful fan and supporter of the Cafe that she decided to host a yard sale to raise funds to support our work. The picture above shows Ms. Teresa selling her wares in front of the Cafe on a recent Fall day. Thanks Teresa!

The response that we have seen in 3 short months is testament to the great need for community gathering places in communities throughout the US. People are fundamentally social creatures--we just need spaces and places to gather and linger. Oh yeah, and food and drink always helps build relationships. Everybody eats, right? Stop on by The Urban Studio Cafe for one of our killer pretzel roll sandwiches, an off-the-hook white chocolate mocha, or any of the other tasty menu items. While you're at it, check out the incredible historic revitalization of 14th Street, AKA Crown Square, to get a glimpse into both the past and the future of Old North. See you soon.

Urban Studio Halloween Party!

The Urban Studio hosted a neighborhood Halloween Party from 5pm - 8pm Halloween night. Approximately 100 spooky, heroic, and fairy-tale kiddos came through the studio to trick-or-treat, play spooky musical chairs, and carve pumpkins. Thanks to everyone who made the night possible: Louise, Claire, Darnell, Natasha, Phil, and Magnolia! More photos below and more to come soon!

Caption: A devil and a butterfly enjoy some popcorn and marshmallow pretzel spiders!

Caption: Superman and woman!

Caption: Early in the day a princess, two dalmatians, a new-school GI Joe, and a fine-dresser gather round to check out a Handy Manny Talkin' Toolbox

Caption: The Cafe aglow with pumpkins

Caption: A close-up of the pumpkins designed by neighborhood kiddos

Caption: Transformer borrows Where's Waldo's glasses and hat

Caption: Sleepy Pepper!

Coffee Cup Art!

Don't worry, we haven't forgotten our community arts roots! On Sunday, October 17th, The Urban Studio Cafe held an art/planting/recycling afternoon where we made Gary and Glenda Grassheads. Throughout the week, we collected used coffee cups. On Sunday, neighborhood kids designed faces on the cups and then planted grass inside the cups that will grow to be "hair" for the faces. Everyone had a blast! Stop by the cafe and see our Grassheads- all of the faces are wonderfully creative, and the grasshair has begun to sprout! Thanks to Courtney Henson, artist extraordinaire, for coming up with the idea and coordinating the project!


Courtney helps Adrienne plant seeds in her coffee cup:


Drawing faces...



Ahmad focuses on his face design:



Spongebob Squarepants!


Cameron shows off his Gary Grasshead!

Art Opening at the Cafe!

You are cordially invited to the John Wyllie Art Opening at The Urban Studio Café!

Friday, October 23rd 7-9 pm

Join The Urban Studio Café for a spectacular night of art and music! View local artist John Wyllie’s block prints and watercolor paintings and enjoy live music from Last To Show First To Go. The Café will be open for business, serving their scrumptious coffee and espresso drinks, baked goods, desserts, and sandwiches.

We would love to see you. Please bring guests and friends and spread the word!

www.urbanstudiocafe.org
Follow us on twitter! www.twitter.com/urbanstudiocafe
Become a fan on facebook! www.facebook.com/urbanstudiocafe

Discount Days at The Urban Studio Cafe!

Discount Days at The Urban Studio Cafe!

EDUCATOR MONDAY: All teachers, professors, tutors, educators receive 15% off entire purchase!
TOOL BELT TUESDAY: All trades people (construction workers, plumbers, welders, electricians, etc) receive 15% off entire purchase!
WEAR-A-TIE WEDNESDAY: Wear a tie and receive 15% off entire purchase
PARENT THURSDAY: All parents receive 15% off entire purchase. If you bring in your child, receive 1 FREE goldfish cup or animal cracker cup with purchase!
UNIFORM FRIDAY: Police Officers, Firefighters, Military personnel or any other public service professionals with a uniform receive 15% off purchase!
STUDENT SATURDAY: Show your student ID and receive a FREE small coffee with purchase of $5.00 or more!


See you soon!

Opening Grandly!

The Urban Studio Cafe had its Grand Opening on Thursday, September 17, welcoming a variety of old and new friends into the cafe. KSDK Channel 5 news covered our event, Robbyn Wahby from the Mayors office and Grace Hill President/ CEO Roderick Jones cut our ribbon, and many enjoyed the complimentary croissants and coffee. We're now officially open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 2pm. Please stop by!

Cafe is OPEN!

The Urban Studio Cafe has finally opened its doors for business! Come by between 8am and 2pm any day of the week to enjoy a hearty turkey pretzel roll sandwich, scrumptious peach smoothie, or a delicious cafe mocha. Spread the word!

Your friendly weekday baristas, Darnell and Louise!



A full house on opening day!


Neighborhood kiddos enjoy the cafe for the awesome hot chocolate and the complimentary coloring books!


Morning sunlight in the cafe.

Architecture for Humanity Joins Forces with The Urban Studio Cafe!

Huge thanks to Architecture for Humanity for spending the weekend building cabinets and shelving for the cafe. Check out the pictures from our workday!

The Urban Studio Cafe on Channel 5 news!!!

Caption: Thanks to KSDK Reporter Ashley Yarchin for sharing our story.

The Urban Studio Cafe was featured on KSDK Channel 5 news tonight at 6pm!

Check out the video on KSDK's website:
http://www.ksdk.com/video/default.aspx?aid=106013

Thanks to Ashley Yarchin at KSDK for giving the Urban Studio its first TV appearance!

If you would like to support our work and help us reach our fundraising goal, you can donate online through The Urban Studio Cafe Facebook page:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/304571/65101837?m=6d54c0aa

OR write a check to Grace Hill Settlement House and send it to us at:

The Urban Studio Cafe

2815 N. 14th St.

St. Louis, MO 63107