Earlier this week I went to see @yannick about possible spaces he’d been hearing about. There are two:
Near Roi Baudouin metro. Ground floor: a 9 x 5 m open space, good as office/coworking. Next to a (Flemish) café! First floor: several apartments, overlooking a park. Being renewed now. The person to talk to is the man who runs the café, Christiaan.
Near Simonis metro. Ground floor: bar. Upper floors: a youth hostel, which is not faring well and will probably move out. The complex has its own courtyard. Well connected by metro. I think this will be impossible because the bar will be loud at night. However, I met the guy who runs it, Jyve, and he says he’s looking for spaces and would love to help us, both with finding the space and finding someone to run a café in it.
Yannick and Jyve both said that Northwest Brussels (Jette) is the place to be, still cheap but starting to become more lively and interesting.
I do not want to write Christiaan’s and Jyve’s contact information on a public site, so I will leave their business cards on @noemi’s or @nadia’s desk at The Reef.
Do you have a sort of blueprint of what you expect the reef to be as an impact for the neighborhood? I met some guys from the commune today and the really intrigued about Edgeryders and want to meet you guys, but they would like to get a mail first with the info of what the reef could be and what you are searching for. Is that possible?
I’d be happy to provide that, but there is some chinese whispers like syndrome, because:
you first mentioned Comuna and attempted a connection with Nadia - but they didnt respond to set up a meeting.
Alberto met Daniel(?) I think early summer and he was supposed to come to a brunch to discuss just that : our next space as a starting of a collaboration - but didnt.
In the meantime I met Sam, also from Comuna, who is managing la Serre in Ixelles, their most recent space - he knows about ER. We are busy planning the festival and I’m hoping they can join at least on Day 3 and see more closely where we are.
Until then, I’m happy to meet separately - but I need to understand who’s the contact person and who in the org would be up for spending more time talking. People are so busy lately, myself incl., that it’s scaring me. I’m seriously considering doing what you do Yannick: making all meetings fun and making others do the same, otherwise… well we give so little to each other when the potential is enormous.
haha yes Alberto was also wondering the mix with communa. Sorry for my frenglish
So i talked with the head of communication of the minicpality of Jette, that is eager to know more about Edgeryders and present it to the mayor of Jette.
will send him the reef text, looks like what i was looking for. Good luck with the orgnasation of Open Village, see you all soon!
There’s a place I like a lot for its integration in its neighborhood, what it brings to it, for the youth who come very oftenly, its location in front of Lambermont Parc. It’s the Sesam Library, Lambermont 200, 1030 Schaerbeek. I think that they rent space for workshop. You could have a look on their website and contact them:
Maybe ask Maria to go have a look? she knows ALOT about physical spaces by now)…
