What is this all about?

The Leaf Cafe is intended to be a "third place". "The Third Place" is a term used in the concept of community building to refer to social surroundings separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace.In his influential book The Great, Good Place, Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.

Oldenburg coins "first" place as our home and those we live with. Our second place is the workplace - where we may actually spend most of our time. Third places, then are "anchors" of community life and facilitate and foster broader, more creative interaction. All societies already have informal meeting places; what is new in our day is the intentionality of seeking them out as vital to our current societal needs. Oldenburg suggests these hallmarks of a true "third place": free or inexpensive; food and drink, while not essential, are important; highly accessible: proximate for many (walking distance);involve regulars - those who habitually congregate there; welcoming and comfortable; both new friends and old should be found there.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is this located?

The address is 26 East Burlington Avenue, LaGrange, Illinois. At the corner of Sixth and Burlington in LaGrange, IL. The location is just one block east of LaGrange road and is right along the tracks. Currently, the building displays the green awning of the old Lamp Shader business.

Click here for a Google Maps link.

Why in LaGrange?

LaGrange is a western suburb of Chicago that still has an urban feel to it. Residents or visitors have a distinct feeling about LaGrange in that it has some "edge" to it still. There is a definitive downtown area and is fed by the Burlington Northern train line which spans from Aurora to Chicago. The village is only about 13 miles from Chicago and serves as link between some of the more affluent western suburbs and some of the more urban areas to the east.

Additionally, there is a unique opportunity in LaGrange in that there are many people, young and old without a place to simply hang out. There are a couple of chain coffee stores, but do not provide adequate space to accommodate gatherings of people in a comfortable atmosphere. LaGrange is a village where community is desperate to happen, however there are no real avenues to promote these ideals outside of Palmer Place or perhaps some local churches.

Who is involved?

This is a vision and partnership of a small group of friends: Christopher Everett, Kevin Dudey and Tom O'Neill. Many have come into the conversation along the way and we continue to meet with extended friends to dream together, if you would be interested in our next meeting, email Kevin below. We are looking for people to volunteer their services, talents or knowledge in order to further this dream. If you are an attorney, accountant, business person, barista or someone else who feels they can help in this project, please contact us.

Additional information

View our discussions online at our The Leaf Cafe Google Group. If you are having any problems with this site, further inquires or would like to be involved somehow, please contact Kevin.