I recently wrote a post on my other blog about coffeeshops and community, comparing it to my line of work. I thought the viewers of this blog might find it interesting, and possibly applicable to your areas of business.
Anyone who knows me well knows I'm a bit of a coffeehouse fanatic. I particularly love the small, independent, funky places. In traveling around the country to our communities, I always find the local coffee houses and tend to do work there at night rather than in the hotel room. I'm actually currently at
Geez Louise, a coffee shop between home and the office.
I serve on an advisory board at a local
high school with David Boyan, the owner of
Caffe Sanora, who is a former business teacher turned coffee shop owner. After a board meeting recently, I asked Dave why he decided to start a coffee shop. He told me about his experience with a coffeehouse in college where he found a place where people felt a sense of community and connection. He wanted to create that experience (and has done so quite well by the way). He has shared in the past how he loves the variety of people who come to the same place from completely different backgrounds and experiences. They come for more than the great coffee. They come for connection and for community. They come for an experience. Dave fondly reflected on his diverse clientele who would otherwise never be likely to be sitting together sharing a conversation were it not for coffee and his coffeehouse.
His reply got me thinking about community, and of course, about student housing. I tend to think about these things a lot. :-)
"We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race." ~ Cicero
Our approach to student housing
@campusadvantage focuses on this same idea of building a community experience. We don't always use coffee (although it comes in handy for our finals events), but we try to find ways to bring together groups of people with different backgrounds and experiences to share in an experience of community and connection. I'll be writing more posts about community as this blog evolves. Next time you are at your local hangout (mine are all coffeeshops, but yours could be the pub, the park, or anywhere else people gather to connect), think about community.
How is community created?
How can you foster this at your property?
What experiences can you provide to bring people together?
How do you intentionally design opportunities to build relationships?
Do you manage buildings or do you build community?
Think about it.
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