Late last year the booths went back in. It saw the completion of a project that had caused us much heartache over the last two years. We never intended them to be absent from the cafe for so long however a long priority list, logistics and the sheer amount of work that was overwhelming us meant that it took two years before everyone else was finally able to see the vision I had for the cafe from that first day. I had been steadfastly holding an image in my head, resisting the doubts and the doubters, knowing that it would all be worth the heartache in the end.
In the meantime we tried to reassure customers who recognised that there was something missing from the cafe. We fielded the frequent question: "why did you take them out? Didn't you like the booths?" Unthinkable. Of course we loved them and felt that they were an intrinsic part of the cafe. It was not complete without them but there was one light bulb moment some months ago when we realised why so many people were puzzled and in some instances, angry about their absence. The booths are deeply personal. People have memories of booths in cafes all around the country that tie into important life moments. It doesn't matter that you may not have ever been into The Blue Bird in Lockhart before but people recall booths in the cafe that used to be in your home town. And as one of the last remaining Greek cafes intact, The Blue Bird represents those moments in people's lives when important things happened. And so I was inspired to write a piece about the booths and am pleased to say that the ABC Open has published my essay. It is the first story about The Blue Bird but it will not be the last. Others are already in the pipeline and I am working on a book about the history of the cafe. You can read a taste of things to come on the ABC Open.
https://open.abc.net.au/explore/88989
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