How is our summer in the new neighborhood going? Oh, lovely of you to ask! We’re quite enjoying ourselves over here. Lucky for us, Jorg found the perfect spot atop the Open Book building, where we could comfortably sprawl ourselves out in this creative, dreamy and inspiring setting. It’s bright, it’s open, and it’s brought us all closer together… literally.

There have been moments when I’ve missed the permanent office, the space that was truly ‘ours.’

But this new adventure has pushed us to step out of our comfort zone and seize our summer with vigor while we redesign and rebuild our space at 240 Ninth.

While spending our days at Open Book, we’ve been exposed to the atmosphere of bustling writers, authors, poets; classes, gallery exhibitions and performances. Cozy little reading nooks and a bright community patio, where we’ve been spotted sipping a Moscow Mule and celebrating a promotion here and there.

“Open Book is a wordsmith’s haven.”- Minnesota Meetings & Events Magazine

“The architectural history is intriguing, but the building’s most compelling stories appear to be taking place in the present.” – Downtown Journal

“Open Book…a mecca for Twin Cities writers and readers.” Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine

“…Finally, there is a central hub for the many spokes of the literary community, the first center of its kind in the nation.” – Yahoo.com Travel

A Couple Of Our Favorite Things About This Summer:

How when we open the windows to catch a breeze, we hear the hurried commotion from the streets below and Bob Ingrassia heatedly proclaims, “Gosh! What is this, Minne-hattan?!”

The fact that we have two refrigerators. Not a soul has protested, and I know we’ll hear grumblings when we get back to our permanent location about how we only have one.

The coffee shop on the main floor, in all its glory! There is forever-flowing espresso, other caffeinated beverages and gluten-free cookies — whatever it takes to keep us on our A game.

Izzy’s ice cream. We’ve been known to take a stroll down the block to indulge in some graham cracker goodness.

A personal favorite of mine is seeing all of the chance encounters, brainstorms and book clubs that take place downstairs. There is so much creativity and collaboration happening – and it’s so pleasing to see.

Chipotle. It’s just three short blocks away, and I would say that 75 percent of our office is 75 percent cheerier on a daily basis because of it.

So, as you can conclude, things have been peaceful. (And they mostly revolve around food.) We are grateful for the chance to get to spend our days here and make our magic happen – thank you, Open Book, for having us!