A place of belonging, lost
It has been 10 weeks that the Briar Patch closed its door. For the past 10 years this was my place in Sonoma to enjoy good company and a cup of coffee. Tucked away in the alley, locals had a space to be among their own, taking breaks from serving the so important tourist business, enjoying a moment of privacy in our so public town.
Therese made this a unique space as she allowed all of us to hang out and enjoy time.
She gave priority to the wellbeing of her “customers” over the greedy business of profit.
In this space, where time had no limit, your presence mattered, not your age or privilege or lack thereof. We recognized and accepted each other as we were. There were discussions, philosophical, political and comical. There were endless games of chess and backgammon, heads stuck together to solve crossword puzzles and the problems of the world.
Our energies wove a blanket of comfort ever changing like the glimpse into a kaleidoscope dependent on who was there at a time. We grew up together, shared with each other, waved good-bye to friends who left Sonoma, only to see them come back first thing when returning for a visit.
For me this was a pillar of the culture of living in Sonoma, a place of belonging.
When Therese announced that the days of the Briar Patch were numbered, my soul cried because it knew that this culture will be lost and lost forever. This was not a “coffee shop,” it was a place of life. More than 100 souls came to the fare well party on closing day and shared the magic for a last time. Most of them grew a root into my soul, some tiny, some deep and any combination thereof.
When the lights went out, these roots were torn out of me and hurt my soul with the pain of sadness. Time covered these wounds with crusty scabs. Some healed but most are so deep and large that they crack open again and hurt as much.
Now that the space is empty, devoid of all spirit, it has the appearance of a grave.
Sometimes I visit to honor all the life it gave and sometimes just to cry over the loss and the pain of missing light. The Briar Patch was Heaven, a place where nothing, nothing ever happened…
But rejoice, downtown Sonoma: A bastion of humanity has been eradicated and now you can chase the cheap thrills of corporate greed and short term profit without being bothered by some “culture” thingy.
Gustav Hobel, Sonoma
10 thoughts on “A place of belonging, lost”
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“She gave priority to the wellbeing of her “customers” over the greedy business of profit.”…
Which is most likely why they went bankrupt and why you no longer have a place to hang out. “Businesses” can’t run or survive on people just hanging around drinking one cup of coffee every couple of hours while playing games and not considering how the bills are going to get paid. Every second of every day, 24/7 the square footage of that place costs money. On top of that there are insurances, PG&E, taxes on inventory and equipment, phone bills, etc.
My dad started that place back in April of 1980 and ran it until he and my mom sold it to the people who ran it into the ground. It ran decades making a profit and was busy pretty much every day, all day long. They retired from it, they didn’t bankrupt it. By the way, when the owners filed bankruptcy, my mom never got paid the final amount that was owed to her for the Jeanine’s Coffee & Tea Co. side. Your “friends” screwed her out of her money. Nice people eh? Luckily I never tried to run across them or heads would have rolled, and trust me, it wasn’t going to be mine! Those people turned an icon of a business that made good profit and provided a nice service to this valley for decades and literally bankrupted it by their liberal ways in a short amount of time, which pretty much bankrupts any, and every business, city, state or country, and always will because sooner or later you run out of money, which is exactly what happened to that little store. I hope you had a great time “hanging out” and I hope they enjoyed not running a business like a business NEEDS to be run. It should be a lesson in how to kill a business 1.01, something most young people of today are clueless of and why America is going down the crapper and can’t balance its budget. So much for your line; “…and now you can chase the cheap thrills of corporate greed and short term profit without being bothered”… It’s EXACTLY why that place is no longer there and how a business can’t run. I’m hoping you have a job. You mention; “… taking breaks from serving the so important tourist business…”, so I assume you have one. Imagine if the place you worked at decided business or profit didn’t matter. You wouldn’t be getting a pay check and they’d be out of business too. The country can’t run on failing businesses, nor can social programs that liberals covet and rely on. Now it appears that Murphy’s is going to put a Whisky bar in there. You know Murphy’s… the place across the alley who obviously knows how to run a business and create jobs and tax revenue?
So, Aaron, what business are you in? Or are you still living in Mom’s basement?
Yeah, that’s what I do… Try looking up http://www.ArronJohnson.com moron!
I will always miss my home away from home, and that was what the Patch meant to me. Thank you Gustav, I believe most of us feel exactly as you do.
Well said, Gustav. Without the Briar Patch, I wouldn’t have the friends or the life I have today. I met my best friend there, I got jobs networking there, and in all the hours and hours I spent there I never felt like a second of it was wasted. I still get a little teary if I look at the shop front too long.
And to Mr. Johnson, you’re being extremely rude to people mourning a place of belonging. Your outrage is being taken out on the vulnerable and that makes you a bully, which is something I pity in you as I can assume you are a grown man. Please refrain from antagonizing hurt people in the future, as it’s very unbecoming and shows a complete lack of honor, courage, and moral conscience.
Every aspect of this article is true.
“We were there”
Dear Mr Johnson,
Any argument starting with the phrase “my dad” is considered invalid. Please try again.
Well said Gustov! and Travis and Emma, and Tyler.
It’s all true, Briar Patch was a personal Oasis for me and countless others for years, during the Bruce and Jeanine days all the way to the end where Terese ushered a dark & dusty shop into it’s golden nouveau years, and gracefully bowed down and let the old girl go with dignity and respect. It has always been a very special cove for people in our community like myself who know the value and art in “doing nothing”. Because when “nothing ever happens” magical seeds have room to grow, ideas sprout, conversations and connections take priority, presence of mind and spirit gently push aside detached busy-ness.
I am heartbroken that our little bubble has burst from the pressure of this depressing reality that is money driven, tourist-centric, and terribly monochromatic. A Crapitolist reality, which is REALLY doing nothing but spinning itself on a shit stained hamster wheel of purgatory.
PS, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum I ask you this… Do you really think this quaint little farm town of yore really needs another f-ing bar/tasting room?
The scales have finally tipped, I sadly feel that “our town” is no longer ours.
PPS Long live the spirit of the Briar Patch, you beautiful corner of love! Thank you for all that you have given personally, professionally, and fearlessly to our community. Love and only Love is what we come and go with, that, and nothing, beautiful glorious splendid nothing.
Thank you, Gustav, for the beautiful tribute to my sister. The shock of her lease not being renewed after a major remodel and a future brighter than ever is still with me. Your words will help me keep focused on many fond memories of the shop rather than the tragic ending. Briar Patch family, I miss you, and hope all are well.
Mr. Johnson says:
“The country can’t run on failing businesses, nor can social programs that liberals covet and rely on.”
Check your history, Johnson, the last 50 years or so. Democratic presidencies have done better for the economy than Republican ones, even Saint Reagan who didn’t do so well on that score. Nixon, too. Bush 2 was a disaster from which we’re still reeling. Clinton on the other hand left his house in better order than all those others with a big fat surplus to boot.
These are just facts, you know, those pesky things the righteous right never bothers with.
But facts and truth have never stopped rightwing ideologues so vote for Bush 3 or Trump or some other Bozo from the Republican clown car and let them run the economy into the ground after Obama has got it up and running again.
One more thing: I trust you will not be taking social security or accepting Medicare or any of the “social programs” you despise because doing otherwise would not only be displaying your ignorance but hypocritical.Oh yeah, no unemployment insurance for you either.
Adios
For starters; Social Security is something we pay into and get back later in life. It’s not a social program funded by other people’s tax dollars. Try learning something about how that works. Secondly, why do jerks like yourself always have to take everything to the stupid extreme? There’s a phrase for that. It’s called “reductio ad absurdum”. I never said I was against all social programs, but instantly you take it right to that limit. How’s that $19 trillion national debt we have working out for us? And lastly… Trump! So “adios” right back to ya!