🏝️ The board, the vision, and the road ahead

Hello, friends. The last couple of weeks haven’t been as fast-moving as I’d hoped, but any disappointment I might be feeling has been eclipsed by something far more energizing: i.e., the people signing on to be Directors of The Dream Society. We’re still hoping to add one or two more before incorporation, but the six who’ve already stepped forward all have much to add. We’ve had a couple of really productive meetings that suggest we have the perfect blend of vision, experience, and heart. Names will come soon. For now, just know that we’ve got the right people in the room.

We’ve already begun shaping the Society’s constitution and bylaws, the framework that will support everything to come. If you’re curious, or if governance scratches an itch for you the way it does for some of us, I’d love for you to take a look and leave comments or suggestions.

We’ve also been refining our vision for The Dream Café's next "album". I won’t give everything away just yet, but you should know that we’re planning some significant updates — to the space, to the layout, and to how the business operates. It's definitely a reimagining, but stops short of being a reinvention. That said, rest assured it will still be a room where music is heard, felt, and respected.

Because these changes are substantial, reopening will happen a little later than originally planned. We’ll have clearer timelines once contractor estimates come in. The licensing process will also influence the schedule, as we transition from food-primary to liquor-primary — something that can take up to nine months. Renovations won’t take that long (we hope), so it’s possible the music will return before the wine does.

You should also know that there's a reasonable chance we'll be opening under a different name. We're still hoping that won't be the case but, thus far, we've been unable to come to terms with the previous board. For reasons that are easy to understand (i.e., they want to pay off their outstanding debts), they want us to pay as much as possible for The Dream Cafe name. And we of course want to pay as little as possible knowing we've a lot of expenses to cover in the future.

With a bit of luck and a lot of coordination, we should have major details finalized in early January. At that point, we’ll share the full plan publicly and launch our fundraising campaign. In the meantime, we’ll continue selling the remaining Diamond and Platinum memberships and begin looking for a title sponsor. If you happen to know someone who might be interested — or if that someone is you — let's chat ASAP!

Thank you for following along. We’re moving forward — thoughtfully, intentionally — and I’m excited for what’s next.

— Michael