Gay Center, Fish Market to open on Main Street.

[stephendare]

The former Epicurean Cafe will be transformed into a community center for Gay, Lesbian Transgendered and Bisexual people according to Shawn  McGuire, the co owner of Three Layers in Springfield.

There is a new not for profit board designed to create a space for the GLBT community to organize, hold meetings etc, and the project will be starting almost immediately.

Shawn is being aided in the effort by several people in the Jacksonville community, including Adrienne Lerner, another Springfield local.  She and her husband are some of really fun progressive people in the neighborhood. 

Also helping out is Brock Fazzini, the Ponte Vedra specialty coffee and tea products entreprenuer.
http://www.fazziniblend.com/

Also a block away, the fish market and seafood place is moving steadily towards completion.

[reednavy]

Good deal on both. The GLBT center sounds good and hopefully, this can be the start of reunifying the community. Being up here in Nashville, it shows how far they've come, and it'll take a lot of work just to get to their level.

[thelakelander]

It will be nice to have some neighbors at 6th & Main.  There's also a place named Fusion and another seafood shop coming to the corner of 8th & Pearl.

It looks like the real estate market falling may be the best thing to happen for Springfield commercially.  With building/land owners bringing their leasing rates and asking prices back down to realistic levels, more opportunities exist for new venues to come into the neighborhood.

[thelakelander]

Main Street:

Three Pawnshops.
Carls Diner
The Chicken District.
A Fish Market
A thrift Store
A Gay and Lesbian Center
The Pearl
Burro Bags
Zombie Bikes
Waffa and Mikes
Chans
Wells Fargo
A-Z Sandwich Shop
Hair Salon
Three Tax Places
Various Auto related businesses.
City Kidz Ice Cream.
Uptown Market.

Anything else?

Wachovia and the Toy Shop at 6th & Main.  You have the beginning of a district.  Now its important to support the existing establishments, while pushing for complementing infill uses in the available spaces that isolate them.

[JaxNole]

Is there a website or phone number for the GLBT center?

[sheclown]

awesome!

[Southbanker]

What is the Fusion place near 8th and Pearl?

[JaxNole]

BTW, stephen, I found it humorous to juxtapose "gay center" and "fish market" in the title.

[Jason]

Damn, Jaxnole beat me to the punch.... no pun intended.

[Bewler]

So you like fishsticks in your mouth?

[JaxNole]

Smelly fishsticks with rancid tartar sauce.

Going to check with Shawn about his plans for the center.  I support one, but I'm thinking it may not be as relevant compared to if this was 1988.

[hooplady]

Way cool.  It will be so nice to see the Epicurean building alive again!  And that upstairs porch is just perfect for a rainbow flag.

[stephElf]

Smelly fishsticks with rancid tartar sauce.

Sounds like a Dave R. quote. Glad I read that while eating my lunch. LOL.

[JaxNole]

Sounds like a Dave R. quote. Glad I read that while eating my lunch. LOL.

I believe he said something like that at Steamworks...or Starlite...or Kickbacks...or Park Place.

Hell, he could have said it anywhere.

[Bewler]

So you like fishsticks in your mouth?

There are worse places for them, I suppose.

That was from southpark. Your thread title made me do it.