i was a barista once + billboards
PROBABLY HEAVEN, GHIRARDELLI SQUARE —
i should’ve known working at kookoo cafe would be special when i met ali, one of the original owners of the shop. i had just gone to two cafes, desperately looking for wifi and an outlet to mooch off of (yes, i’m that person). frustrated and let down, i kept walking straight and found kookoo cafe on a corner side street.
for the record, i got a dark roast with just a little hazelnut, in a to-go cup.
as i sipped my hazelnut coffee, i struck up conversation with ali. at one point, he looked me squarely in the face and told me that he doesn’t hire people who just want a job. he hires people who want more. this was before i even asked for an application - but, spoiler alert, i spent the next six months steaming and foaming and learning and when i said goodbye, crying.
more on that place later, but first my words + reads.
my words: what’s up with all the billboards around san francisco? i spoke to eaze, firefly, brex, and a couple others to get a sense of why we’re seeing all the startup ads plastered along the highway versus on facebook/instagram.
etc: how the heck is this impacting billboard companies? one source told me that there’s one company behind all the billboards in san francisco. that doesn’t seem…scalable. what’s the barrier to entry, how has the uptick been felt, and are they stretched for resources?
learning lesson: for people that always ask me where i get my stories from, that story idea came from off the record banter with a vc, after we ditched the pr person. i know pr people are just doing their jobs (and i am thankful for that), but sometimes, getting to go on a barriers-down walk with a really smart person is all it takes for me to think about the source you’re pitching me, as a human.
unorganized tab time:
a thread you really need to read (let me know when you subscribe to your local news outlet)
she’s not mad. she’s just not using exclamation points.
a vc fund for sextech, cannabis, cbd, and beyond
anyways, back to before:
some of the characters i worked with included a communications major who is also a singer who only films acoustic videos while cleaning her kitchen (yes, of course we became friends), a nurse, a mom, an introverted artist, an ex-task rabbiter, and someone with almost a decade on me that doesn’t know what snapchat is (my other best friend at the cafe). and we all worked for owners who can walk in and smell when the scones are too dense, and kiss foreheads as often as they correct technique.
as extremely different people, we all made it work by with laughter, spicy tomato soup, and hummus. we found different ways to lean on each other - whether it was tasting the lemon ginger tea, or asking for advice on a toxic relationship. sure, you could say we were just killing time during our shifts (see, small talk) but there was a type of riffing that went on that just felt like thankfulness. thankfulness we were peeking into new minds, learning about the different paces that people move, and the different ways people think of their dreams.
i don’t have an action statement for you this week, much more than i almost missed this entire little world. i only came to kookoo in the first place because i was thirsty for an outlet, and i even asked for a to-go cup when i got there. so next time you’re in a situation where it feels like you’re interrupting a family dinner (before the guests get there), stay. screw the outlet. eavesdrop. you’ll probably see a group that functions less like a machine, and more like a hobbled harmony. and that’s pretty damn refreshing.
to for here mugs,
N
