Colin's Coffee Update: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - by Colin Gawel

Staring at the schedule at Colin’s Coffee on April 1st I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long month.” I’m sure most folks felt the same way. Thankfully, it’s almost over and hopefully we can get moving in a positive direction in the near future. As far as the coffee shop goes, I’ve got many people to thank for helping us pull through this time.

Thank you to our amazing customers who have been both patient & generous to each other and our staff. We have had zero problems with social distancing and people still find some time for a quick chat or to check in on a friend. If there is anything essential about Colin’s Coffee it’s being able to provide a little human interaction on a daily basis. I know for a fact that for some people, this is the only place they visit all day. And the tips have been off the charts: the staff and myself can’t thank you enough.

Speaking of customers, a couple of different folks told me I should investigate the Upper Arlington Community Foundation and inquire about their Good Neighbor fund. After some prodding, I sent an email to the website, answered a few questions and within two days they offered to pay my rent due on May 1st. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!!! So one million thanks to the good people and donors at UACF. 

Along those lines, thanks to the #maskedcrusader (Michelle Salsberry), a UA citizen who has been making & selling masks and then donating the profits to local causes and businesses. Colin’s Coffee was lucky to be visited by the #maskedcrusader and receive a donation on her behalf. It was completely unexpected and totally appreciated. 

Thanks to our incredible staff here at the coffee shop. When the month of April started and the lockdown was in full effect, I decided it was best for safety purposes to work completely alone. I didn’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way and I knew I could stay away from other people and not put any customers at risk. Plus, it made economic sense to just go DIY full-survival mode. I can work free and apply what money we made to covering bills and keeping the lights on. It’s a lot like touring the country in a van with Watershed, just covering expenses is a win. Lucky for us, all six of our employees are currently live at home and nobody has mortgages or kids or any serious bills to play. They understood the plan that once we survived the lockdown we could hopefully return to normal. Keeping healthy and keeping the lights on were the top two priorities.

Thanks to my wife for suggesting that we use an extra phone we had sitting around at home to set up a Colin’s Coffee text-line. This has been a game changer. With people sitting 15 cars deep in the Starbucks drive-thru, many have started texting their orders to us. We respond to confirm with an estimated pick-up time. We even offer curbside for those that want to stay outside. Details are at the Colin’s Coffee Facebook Page. With the help of the text-line we have shifts available for employees who are able to work, so that is a step in the right direction. 

Thanks to Mike Dewine, Jon Husted and Dr. Amy Acton for their excellent leadership. Who knew this was coming? I did. Thanks to them. I happened to catch an early press conference before things got really crazy, but I could tell from listening to them (and following the real news myself) that I better get stocked up in advance for cleaning supplies & cups and mentally prepare for what was coming our way. Their intelligent and decisive leadership in the early stages was very helpful to a small business owner like myself. 

Anyway, thanks to all who have helped Colin’s Coffee through this uncertain time. We couldn’t have survived without you. - Colin G 4/30/20

My Quarantine Diary 4/2/20 - by Colin Gawel

My Quarantine Diary - by Colin Gawel 

Thursday April 2nd - I started this diary yesterday. Checking back in now. Is this even worth doing? I don’t know. I’m appreciating the sun more than ever these days. I started tearing up a little listening to She’s Got a Problem while serving coffee this morning. R.I.P. Adam Schlesinger. 

Wednesday April 1st - “Dad, is it Saturday or Sunday? Uh, Owen, it’s Wednesday” I think that little exchange sort of sums up what many people are adjusting to right now. First and foremost, I am thankful that at this point all my family and friends are still healthy. That’s what is really important during this time. Or at least what I keep telling myself to ease my mind about finances. 

Ah yes, my old nemesis, money...that’s the second big subject everyone is dealing with. Everyone is feeling it. I’m really lucky that I have the ability to keep Colin’s Coffee open. Sure it’s take-out only, I’m working alone and it’s slow, but it’s way better than nothing. So many of my friends working in restaurants or playing music are completely out of work. Speaking of “way better than nothing,” I just noticed it’s the first of the month, my landlord better get ready to embrace that expression. And yes, I filled out a form yesterday to inquire about the CARES Act. We will see where it goes. I feel bad that my employees are out of work for the next month but at least we have the ability to survive. And nobody who works here has a mortgage, or kids, or any serious bills, so I think they will be okay. Still, I wouldn’t object to a little cash from Big Brother to ease the pain.  I’ll keep you posted on that front. 

Our customers have been great and everyone keeps six feet apart as I constantly spray sanitizer on all the counters and doors. And I know some folks have got to be lonely. Coming down to get a mocha might be their only human interaction all day so I try to be present while they vent a little. If there is anything essential about our service, that is probably it. I hope we can help just a little with some kind words and a pep talk. People have been so kind to us,  I’ve been trying to return the favor and support other local businesses myself, but like most people I have to pick and choose my spots to stay within our family budget. 

Okay, enough of this boring, serious stuff, what fun stuff have I been doing to keep my spirits up?

Well, Tiger King, duh, I think we are all truly in that show together as well. It seems like the entire country is watching. It’s the closest thing to The Beatles on Ed Sullivan I can imagine. It’s been our family watch. One episode left. I also watched Narcos Mexico season two and have been picking away at Breaking Bad. Yes, I’m the one dude who hasn’t seen it. And for laughs Schitts Creek is amazing and I never stop watching Mr. Show and Monty Python.

There is one way to get a message across and that is with music. Everyone loves music. It is believed that in 1997 a women in Tampa Florida killed her husban...

Speaking of music, I’m no Joe Exotic (but who is?). I challenged myself to record a song while working at the coffee shop. I don’t have a lyric as killer as “You can’t find this taste in the zoo,” but for my first try it turned out pretty good. The main thing is to push perfection aside and keep the brain off the news and in a creative place. Onto the next song.

Click here for Coffee Shop Song #1 - Standing on the Rocks.

My fitness has been sketchy. I’m really a creature of routine, as much as I hate to admit it, and not being able to go to the gym has been a blow. I’ve tried to do some sprints and failed at 25 push-up’s every hour. Mixing in hikes ‘n’ bikes and all that. But still, I haven’t found my stride. Or put another way….lazy.

Owen and I have started the World Series of free throws in our driveway and I’m already down 3-0. Occasionally my rebounding skills are required for his shooting drills as long as I promise to obey rule # 1: DO NOT OFFER ADVICE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EVER. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way not to break rule #1. It ends badly.  We have been throwing baseballs every day too. I really like Owen. His work ethic inspires me and he is really funny.

Books I’ve read recently:

Siren Song - My Life in Music by Seymour Stein (wrote a blog about this one); 

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain (excellent recommendation from Joe Oestreich);

Listened to Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. 

Also, my friend Terry Fleming dropped off a couple of big baseball books I have been flipping though.

Ordered: Sonic Warrior: My Life as a Rock N Roll Reprobate by Lou Brutus. This book is going to be amazing. Nobody can tell a story better than Lou and he has a million stories to tell. Click here to view on Amazon. 

I also watched some old Reds games on YouTube. Seaver’s No Hitter and Game 7 of the 75 and 76 World Series. Johnny Bench was batting SEVENTH against the Yankees during that sweep. What a lineup: Rose / Griffey / Morgan / Perez / Foster / Driessen / Bench / Geronimo / Concepcion. The post-game interviews are classic, too. 

Achtung! Regular FOX Viewers, Trolls and Russian Bots Might Want to Stop Reading Now

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Okay, I’m going to share my thoughts on how this has been handled for those that are interested. I don’t blow up social media with my hot takes so this is my two cents. If this is going to ruin your day I encourage you to stop reading now. It’s really not worth it. You have been warned.....okay…. 3 -2 -1 

The other day I spontaneously spoke words that I never, ever thought I would say: “It’s too bad Mike DeWine isn’t President.” If he was, our country could have been spared countless lives lost, misery and an economy on the brink. In early March, numerous people told me, to my face, this was a “hoax,” “a Democratic hoax,” and/or a “CNN Hoax.” I didn’t argue. I just kept following the real news. You know, the one for smart people: Like Mike DeWine and Dr. Amy Acton. I listened to what experts had to say. And stocked up on cleaning supplies and TP for the coffee shop. Am I surprised how bad this has been? Yes. Am I surprised our country as a whole is where we are right now despite months of warning? Sadly, no. It starts at the top. It’s a botch job. At least now, it’s popular to fight the disease so progress is being made. Better late than never. 

OK, rant over. Stay safe everyone and take care of one another.