Dear 837 Union Street Landlord,

We sign this petition in the genuine hope and with the sober request that Park Slope and Brooklyn not lose the vibrant community living room and meeting space that has sustained our neighborhood for the past fifteen years.

We have been recently saddened to learn that the Tea Lounge is closing. Initially, we thought that this was the result of the rapidly increasing rents, as has been the case for so many other coffee shops and public spaces throughout Brooklyn. We were relieved to learn, however, that the landlord and his family have done everything in their power, including bearing a significant financial burden for many years, in order to sustain an institution that provides so many people with space to work, relax, collaborate, and connect with others in the community.

After learning that the closing of the Tea Lounge was a decision made by the owner of the coffee shop and not the landlord, we recognized that we, as a community, have been presented with a unique opportunity and an important challenge to build on the lessons we have learned from years at the Tea Lounge. Upon hearing that Steven and Shaya were proposing to adopt the space asThe Meeting House, we have joined together as patrons of the Tea Lounge to advocate on their behalf. It is thus with great humility and earnestness that we implore that you accept their proposal to sustain the heartbeat of our neighborhood.

We do not make this request lightly, but recognize that should you choose to grant this lease it would entail an important challenge to each of us. We are acutely aware that you have many other offers to lease this space, and that your commitment to support Brooklyn’s public sphere must be met by our contribution to the viability and sustainability of your property.

With acknowledgement and gratitude for your sacrifice over the past decade and a half, should you choose to lease your building to The Meeting House, we will also make a pledge to you.

· First, we will not take for granted the opportunity to connect with old friends and to meet new ones.

· Second, we will be conscious of the limited spaces for presenting our long-honed performance and visual arts, to develop and showcase new talents, and to be exposed to the craft of others.

· Third, we will appreciate access to an environment where we can find refuge from our small apartments and stressful workplaces to creatively and authentically connect with ourselves, our interests, and our passions.

· And more than anything, we will be persistently considerate of the fact that though The Meeting House will be as close to a public space as we have in our society, like any other business, it cannot exist without financial viability. This means that we will do whatever we can, within each of our means, to support this neighborhood institution by buying the products that will be created with care and concern for the health, satisfaction, and sustainability of the local communities.

Again, thank you immensely for all that you’ve done to make the Tea Lounge what it has become, and for your willingness to support our collective efforts to sustain this invaluable space in any way you can.

In Gratitude and Solidarity,