I recently attended the kickoff event of the One Book, One Philadelphia program at the Free Library. During the talk, the idea of “safe spaces” came up, which has stuck with me. “Safe spaces” have become contentious in recent years, and there are a variety of ways of understanding the term. Of course, there’s physical safety, but recent research has delved into psychological safety in the workplace as a driver of growth and success; and there’s emotional safety where people are given the space to feel and express themselves how they see fit. It’s unique to find a place that falls into all three categories, and that’s typically at home, but more commonly there are safe spaces where one or two are present, and that’s often enough.
Safe spaces are important to society because they are part of what allows someone to build a community. Signaling to others that they are welcome is the basis of finding common ground, and there are plenty of ways to do that: there are symbols you can hang up, signs you can post, and rhetoric you can use to signal to those who come through your door what they can expect while occupying that space. Even something as fundamental as the type of customer service you provide can help give a sense of what kind of community you might find there.
One good example of using customer service to help foster a sense of comfort can be found at Joe’s Throwback Barbershop, a local business operating a shop out of Philadelphia and Cherry Hill. Whenever someone walks through the doors, they’re often greeted by name and the conversations that one finds communicates how much the barbers there care about their clients and the community they’re a part of. The owner, Joe, mentors barbers and helps promote philanthropic projects he hears his clients mention as a way to foster that sense of community one typically sees in movies with barbershops as their hubs.
Promoting safety in a space can take many forms for businesses, but taking little steps like remembering the details of your customers can help foster the kind of safety that people enjoy coming back to. It’s part of why Joe’s Throwback Barbershop is so successful, and it’s something everyone can learn from..
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A Feel Good Place
How Sustainability and Education Make This Coffee Shop’s Brews Taste a Little Better
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to attend a Coffee and Chocolate festival with my wife, and it was filled with hundreds of vendors offering coffee and chocolates in every variety one could imagine. We had the opportunity to try so many different things that it’s hard to point each of them out now, but one that caught both of our attention and hung on to it was Madis Coffee Roasters.
Madis had set up a stall that was designed to look like a semi-futuristic lab, complete with additional signage and decor that drew the eye in. However, once you get to try the coffee itself, it became apparent that the Madis team were able to combine their marketing prowess with the ability to select and brew high quality coffee beans that could delight the tastebuds.
When I had the opportunity to visit their location in West Philadelphia, I decided it was time to look a little more deeply into their story. What I found became a Feel Good Friday post focused on the coffee company’s ability to rapidly grow through a combination of education, a deep focus on quality, and the kind of experimentation that’s always necessary when running a small business.
Something Read
THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER BY H.G. PERRY
Biddy is a sixteen year old orphan girl being raised by a magician called Rowan on the shores of an enchanted island off the coast of Ireland called “Hy Brasil.” The magician often disappears from the island to make contact with an outside world, where the connection to magic’s source has become tenuous, making it harder to cast spells. One day, when Rowan doesn’t come home, and Biddy sets out on a journey to save him. The adventure takes her through the poorest parts of London, an enchanted castle beneath the city streets, and into the very nature of living magic.
For Casual Readers: The book will likely appeal to anyone who’s enjoyed Backman’s works like A Man Called Ove or Anxious People, but it’s also likely to appeal to people looking for a feel-good story about friendship that doesn’t shy away from the darker parts of existence.
For Writers: The book offers a great example of how to play with the balance of levity and seriousness within a novel, particularly with a focus on dry, sharp humor that lives alongside difficult situations such as assault and abuse.
What Comes Next
Enjoyed this issue? Here’s what you can expect from the next newsletter:
A reflection on the impact mothers and mother-figures have on our lives.
A dive into the Feel Good Story behind a popular chocolate chip brand
A review of a novel that started as a screenplay, became a hit, and later was adapted into a film set in the 1980s.
As always, while this project may be a space where I share some of the things I have been thinking of, I also want to make sure it delivers value for you. So if you have feedback on what you would like to see, let me know and your recommendation may make it into the next issue.
