CELLspace

Bike Kitchen Rescues CELLspace

Posted by Kevin Montgomery on Tue, 02/01/2011 - 10:05am
Categorized: Bicycles, Dance, Mission District
Tagged: bikes, CELLspace, hurrah for more dance parties I'll probably never go too, PEOPLE DOING GOOD

A mural commissioned by The Bike Kitchen outside of CELLspace, depicting the everyday environs of The Bike Kitchen.

Angel from The Bike Kitchen hit us up in the comments letting us know that they've stepped up to save CELLspace:

Angel from the Bike Kitchen here. I just wanted to let folks know that the Bike Kitchen is going to be loaning (interest free) CELLspace $13,000 to help them keep their doors open. Back when the Bike Kitchen started, CELLspace gave us a rent-free space for about two years at the Mission Village Market (remember that place? It was the weekend flea market and warehouse/art space at 18th & Alabama. It's been replaced by mixed income apartments and is the Bike Kitchen's new home too). Anyway, we're pretty frugal and have been able to save up some cash and are stoked to be able to give back to this org which helped us get our feet. CELLspace has a pretty bright future in the Mission - it's a shame that this bureaucratic hiccup could almost bring an org like this down.

The bureaucratic hiccup, as you might recall, was the city's Planning Department (boo, hiss!) forcing them to do a whole bunch of renovations before they could reopen their doors.  Renovations that forced the space to raise $25,000 by the end of January or be faced with shutting down.  Looks like they weren't set to quite hit their goal by the end of the month, but the Mission community stepped up just in the nick of time.  Now we can look forward to rollerdisco New Years parties and magical monkey murals for years to come.

Previously on Uptown Almanac

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CELLspace Going BANKrupt

Posted by Kevin Montgomery on Wed, 01/12/2011 - 11:50am
Categorized: Mission District
Tagged: CELLspace, non-profit

It sounds like CELLspace, the venue I've only gone to once or twice but whose murals I very much appreciate, is facing some budgetary problems due to Planning Department-required renovations.  CELLspace's blog explains:

For several months, in a joint venture with San Francisco IndieFest, CELLspace has been preparing for the final stages of installing a new fire exit as required by the City of San Francisco Planning Department. This new fire exit is critical to becoming an adequate Place of Assembly. Without it we will not be able to host any large events of any kind. Event rentals pay 75% of our core operating expenses.

Unfortunately as we were prepared to start construction in December, new ordinances requiring us to add additional new features to the construction stopped our progress. These additional features will cost us much more than our initial required renovation. Of course, we have also lost valuable time and opportunities to earn revenue through events. Now more than ever we are feeling the blow of this lost income during the construction period, when we are so close to expanding what CELLspace can provide for the community. Any further setbacks, and CELLspace will be significantly crippled in its efforts. [link]

To keep their doors open beyond the renovations, they aim to raise $20,000 by the end of the month.  Sure seems like a hefty sum to raise in two weeks, but then again, Noisebridge was facing a similar situation a month ago and turned it around.  

And of course, all donations to CELLspace are tax-deductable and they intend on throwing one helluva celebration party if and when all this budgetary non-sense is behind them.

(photo by Eddie Codel)

Previously on Uptown Almanac

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