A cafe's staff hopes to reopen, someday

What defines the history of a neighborhood institution? Continuity of name? Location? Management?

The Someday Cafe in Davis Square has lost all three. But Someday's employees are already planning a comeback -- in a new location, under new management, and with a new name.

Founded next to the Somerville Theatre by entrepreneur Jeff Hale and two partners in 1994, Someday became a quirky second home to local artists, musicians, and caffeine cultists from every walk of life.

``It was there before Diesel, before Starbucks," says Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, who had a law office in Davis Square during the '90s. ``That was the hip place."

Hale sold the cafe in 2001 to Gus Rancatore , owner of Toscanini's ice cream shops, another local institution. But the coffeehouse lost its lease this year. The Elm Street storefront was scheduled to close its doors for the last time yesterday.

But after an emotional community meeting to discuss the closing in late June, employees have launched an effort to save the cafe, said Danielle Sullivan , 24, of Allston, Someday's manager for the past three years.

Curtatone is helping the employees scout out a new Davis Square venue. A location could be announced soon, Sullivan said, but the coffeehouse probably will not re open before December.

The new cafe will be an employee-owned collective, Sullivan said. All of the current staffers are expected to make the move, she said.

At the June meeting, Rancatore told a room full of dismayed customers that he had forgotten to renew the lease, precipitating the current crisis.

Rancatore was out of town last week and could not be reached for comment.

``We wish them well," said his sister, Mimi Rancatore , who directs Toscanini's wholesale operations. Gus, she said, ``had other fish to fry."

The coffeehouse is also facing a name change. For many customers, the Someday name and Elm Street location are irrevocably linked to the memory of Hale, who died of leukemia last year. The inclination, Sullivan said, is to ``let the name die with the spot."

Further complicating matters, to retain the Someday name, the partners would have to purchase rights to it from Rancatore, if he is willing to sell.

All this change raises the question: What's left of the original business?

Well, there are the customers.

Someday's clientele became ``its own community, its own culture, over time," said Curtatone. It was that sense of community that spurred his interest in the project at the June meeting.

The new owners also have their sights firmly set on the customers. Sullivan said the new coffeehouse will provide a home for the close-knit Someday community -- artists, musicians, and assorted aficionados of counterculture.

``Old school," she said.

Midway through what was to be its final week last week, the cafe still bustled with its typical ``old school" mix -- artists, college students, expectant mothers, hippies, retirees, retired hippies, and just plain coffee lovers.

``This place is a gem," said regular customer Michael Sullivan , 59, of Boston (no relation to Danielle). A customer since the days of Hale, Sullivan said the Someday community has never been stronger.

``This place has had its ups and downs, but they're closing it on an upswing," he said, shaking his head. He vowed to return when the new coffeehouse opens -- wherever and whenever that might be.

``The people who do go to the Someday -- you know there's Diesel and Starbucks -- but I don't see them fitting in anywhere else," said Elaine Bay of Somerville, a member of theMiracle5 art collective, which donated artwork to help raise funds for the new location.

Curtatone has helped walk the group through the process of getting financing through Somerville's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, but seed money remains an issue.

Various fund-raisers, such as a silent auction, raffles, and the sale of Someday Cafe T-shirts, had raised more than $4,500 as of last week for costs such as drawing up legal papers and hiring someone to negotiate a lease, according to Sullivan.

After the closing, Someday T-shirts will still be sold at Chinook, a nearby clothing store, to benefit the hoped-for new cafe.