There was a good turnout from the most passionate supporters of the Couth Buzzard at the Couth Buzzard Steering Committee community meeting on Monday. Many thanks to all who showed up, and the committee knows there’s a lot more who are hungry to contribute with your ideas and your time. If you want to see the replay, the Zoom meeting capture is here.
The big reveal of the evening was that owner and founder Theo Dzielak plans to step away from the store in 2024. This puts the ball in the court of the committee and the community to come up with a plan that maintains the Couth Buzzard as a signature civic and cultural gathering space in the neighborhood and the region.
The road ahead has a fork. A private individual could come forward to explore taking over the business. That would certainly be the easiest solution, but would have no guarantee that the Couth Buzzard retains what we most value about it. It would have to be the right fit. Or, we can create a non-profit organization with the clear mission to continue the Couth Buzzard as a welcoming civic engagement, performance and participatory music and arts center, with a great café and books for sale. That will require a lot of effort. We will need help.Â
If you have experience in non-profit governance, fundraising, retail business, writing a business plan, the law, community outreach, finance, or if you’re a brilliant networker, and especially, if you play well with others, the committee wants to talk to you. If you know people who need to know about us, pass them on. We might be on the road to forming a 501(c)3; we will need many hands with talent, energy and love for what the Couth Buzzard is and can become.Â
Send a note to [email protected]. The Steering Committee would love to hear from you.
