Cybercafe idea born of tragedy as teens fill need for safe hangout
It can, they say as they nod toward the three moms and two dads in the background, because of parent and community support. The reason it will work, they agree, is because it has to.
"We have nowhere to hang out and when kids have nowhere to hang out, they can get in trouble," said Andree Burns, one of 13 friends working to launch the cybercafe next month.
It was a little more than one year ago that Laura Wallace, a junior at Mercer Island High School, died in an alcohol-related car accident on the island on a weekday afternoon. Since then, parents, students and others in the community have worked to find ways to decrease drug and alcohol abuse among the island's young people.
The girls, who attend school with Wallace's seventh-grade sister, want to dedicate the nonprofit cafe to Laura on its opening day, June 10.
Two eighth-graders and their fathers, Natasha and Neal Lekwa and Emily and Sven Goldmanis, came up with the idea to launch the cybercafe — run by and for teens — to provide a safe, drug-free gathering place.
The girls recruited 11 friends and, so far, the group has written a mission statement, a charter and rules, found an inexpensive location, formed a dozen committees for everything from decorating to fund raising, and named the cafe — Bounce.
"Instead of being out partying and doing bad things after school, kids can come here and have dinner or coffee with friends and be in a safe, fun place," said Jenny Mohler, one of the planners.
"I didn't know Laura, but it really affected me, and it would be terrible for that to happen to any other kids," Burns said. "That's one of the reasons we're doing this."
Sven Goldmanis, a commercial realtor, found the location for the girls — a former Mexican restaurant in a building scheduled for demolition in February. If the cafe is successful, the group plans to move it. Because the building will be razed to make room for a new one, the rent will be cheap, around $500 a month, said Neal Lekwa.
After cleaning up and decorating with loud "neon splatter paint," the girls plan to serve coffee, soda, microwave pizzas, chips and salsa, and other snack food. Kids will be able to log onto the Internet, sing karaoke and play a jukebox.
"It'll be fun and funky," said Emily Goldmanis.
The venture is a lesson in how to maximize community resources. Neal Lekwa is a business expert, having started and sold more than 35 stores, including the Scandia Down franchises; Sven Goldmanis is a city councilman; Marion Mohler has public-relations experience; and Anna Sanna Burns and Patty Brawer have raised funds for various community projects.
The parents involved are passionate about giving teens a safe place. Currently, most hang out at malls or movie theaters in Bellevue or Seattle, at the island's country club, or at friends' houses — especially when parents aren't home.
In addition to providing a safe place, the cafe venture is to "give these young women a sense of themselves, that they can be businesswomen and do whatever it is they want for careers," said Anna Sanna Burns.
Mercer Island — where the average home sells for $611,000 — is one of the most affluent communities in the Puget Sound area. The cafe, parents say, will teach the girls the value of work.
"There are a lot of privileged kids here, and money comes easily to them, so this will show them the other side and they'll be able to see where money comes from and how hard you have to work for it," said Brawer.
The cafe likely will cost about $6,000 to start up, Neal Lekwa said. U.S. Bank has agreed to loan $35,000 for the venture, and the group is considering asking high-school students to pay a $25 fee to help get it off the ground, Lekwa said.
People on and off the island have agreed to donate furniture, a refurbished soda fountain and some restaurant equipment. The group is still looking for donations of computers and a jukebox.
While the 13 girls will work in the cafe, they won't receive money because they aren't old enough to work by state law. But they will earn points for their labor. Tips and profits will be rolled over into a college-scholarship fund the girls could access, based on the number of points they earn.
Ideally, Lekwa said, he would like to see the teen cafe multiplied as a model that any community could copy.
"Mercer Island has been infamous for not being able to pull it together for kids, but we hope to change that," he said. "We want to create a model for any community to start, whether it's Mercer Island or West Seattle or Renton."
Colleen Pohlig can be reached at 206-515-5655 or cpohlig@seattletimes.com.