To think that Alternative Grounds could have been wiped out, perhaps transformed into a dramatically modern glass and chrome dress shop, or maybe a high end store specializing in silk purses made from sow’s ears!  Heaven forbid.  That would be adding insult to injury.

Sad that we are ‘losing our past’ and original owner Linda Burnside.  Grateful that the new owner is, we hear, ‘sympathetic’ to what A.G. stands for. And what, pray tell, is that, you might ask?

Well, it’s about expressing our values through the way we live every day — knowing that where we buy our coffee matters, makes us more conscious of the other things that do actually make a difference.  That everything we do, every choice we make, affects others.

It’s about how we relate to each other as human beings, understanding that even when we disagree, we can still love, each in his own way.  It’s about inclusion, versus exclusion;  strangers invited to sit; fund-raisers for people and events we care about;  exploring ideas freely, knowing the next stranger you include may change your life.  It’s about ‘being there’ for people – and trusting they are there for you.

It’s about knowing that ‘customers’ and ‘servers’ are equal treasures, and they have  much to learn from each other.   It’s about knowing that we are so much more than roles,  that Alternative Grounds is so much more than a café.  And that we are so lucky to have found it.