The Tale of LOOK.Sharp Cafe: Sustaining Balance as a Small Business, Supporting Our Team whilst Fostering a Community
As the founder and owner of LOOK.Sharp Cafe in Porto, I find myself constantly grappling with the challenge of balancing the need to sustain a small business, providing for our wonderful team, and fostering a vibrant community space that serves as the much-loved "third place" for our patrons. Running a small business is no easy feat, and when external pressures come into play, it can become a daunting task to keep everything in harmony. In recent times, we have made some changes in response to economic and local authority pressures, which unfortunately resulted in alienating our cherished community. This is a regrettable situation that has left me with a heavy heart.
The Vision: Creating a "Third Place" in Porto
When I first conceptualized LOOK.Sharp Cafe, my vision was simple yet profound - to create a warm and welcoming space that would not just be a café but a vibrant community hub. Inspired by Ray Oldenburg's concept of the "third place," I wanted to build a space where people from all walks of life could come together, socialize, connect, and feel a sense of belonging. With this vision in mind, we carefully designed the café's ambiance, focused on delivering top-notch customer service, and maintain a team of passionate individuals who share our values.
The Challenge: Balancing Economics and People
Running a small business comes with its unique set of challenges. From managing finances to optimizing operations, there is an endless list of tasks that demand attention. However, at the core of it all, what drives us is not just profit, but the sense of responsibility towards our team and the community we serve. Our team members are not just employees; they are the heart and soul of LOOK.Sharp. Providing them with fair wages, a supportive work environment, and opportunities for growth is a commitment we take seriously.
But here lies the quandary. Balancing the financial needs of the business with the welfare of our team has been a tightrope walk. Rising costs of supplies with runaway inflation, fluctuations in market demand due to our discreet location, and unfathomable regulations including lack of local authority support have put immense pressure on our budget. While we have strived to maintain fair wages, there have been times when we had to make difficult decisions to stay afloat.
The Impact of Economic and Local Authority Pressure
In recent times, our small business has faced tremendous economic pressure, primarily due to external factors beyond our control. Escalating prices, inflated taxes, and a challenging location have led to some tough choices. We had to make changes to our menu, pricing, events structure and operational hours to offset rising costs and avoid the risk of closure.
Additionally, local authorities have actively targeted our business visibility by enforcing inflexible regulations that do not consider the specifics of our street or neighbourhood. While regulations are generally well-intentioned the local council has no mechanism for collaborating with local businesses on the particular architectural and geographic conditions of old street Porto. There appears to be a more coordinated focus on revenue generation through incessant fining than supporting small businesses like ours and others on the street. Obtaining permits and licenses became an unfathomable process, consuming both time and financial resources. To be clear, our neighbourhood is a commercial district of businesses at the ground level of all buildings however no visitor would know this by looking at the street. Presenting our services for easy public view and understanding is so heavily controlled that the entire street by appearance has no commercial activity whilst in truth there are many businesses struggling to keep their doors open and viable in a city with ever-increasing foot traffic and a need for their focus and options to be expanded.
The Unintended Consequence: Alienating Our Loyal Community
As we navigated these challenging times, we inadvertently made changes that had an adverse effect on our loyal community of patrons. Altering our menu to accommodate rising costs resulted in the removal of some beloved dishes that our customers had grown fond of. Adjusting prices or implementing a minimum spend or fee for some of our events led to understandable disgruntlement among our regulars, who felt that we were no longer the affordable and welcoming place they cherished.
The consistent experimenting and resulting insecurity meant temporary closures and disruptions to our regular operations. This left our community feeling uncertain and disconnected. The sense of belonging and familiarity that had characterised LOOK.Sharp Cafe was now overshadowed by a feeling of unease and detachment. This is something that we are working tirelessly to correct and stabilise.
Moving Forward: Rebuilding Trust and Rekindling Community Spirit
As the founder of LOOK.Sharp Cafe, I take full responsibility for the unintended consequences of recent changes and the alienation felt by our community. It is a regrettable situation that keeps me up at night in relation to our community and the team under my care. However, I am determined to learn from this experience and continue to build the vision.
I am working closely with our team, ensuring that they understand the challenges we face and the decisions we have made. Transparency and open dialogue fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, empowering them to be ambassadors of LOOK.Sharp Cafe's vision.
In terms of the economic pressures, I continue explore creative solutions to mitigate the impact on our finances. Seeking partnerships with local community members and diversifying our revenue streams will be crucial in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the business without compromising our values and service.
Conclusion: Nurturing Our Business, Our Team, and Our Community
The journey of balancing the need to sustain a small business, support our team, and foster a vibrant community space is an ongoing challenge. LOOK.Sharp Cafe in Porto has faced its fair share of difficulties, particularly in the face of economic and local authority pressures. Regrettably, recent changes have inadvertently alienated our loyal community, but I am determined to rectify this situation.
By rebuilding trust, nurturing open communication, and finding creative solutions, I believe we can continue to be the beloved "third place" for our community. LOOK.Sharp Cafe will thrive as a business while providing a warm, inclusive space for people to connect, share, and feel a sense of belonging.
It is my sincere hope that the future will be one of renewal and growth, where LOOK.Sharp Cafe will continue to serve as a beacon of community spirit in Porto, bringing people together one cocktail, delicious bite, boardgames event or off-the-chart party at a time.
