Latest news with #ThirdSpace
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The women joining high-end gyms for a month – to find a rich husband
If Becky Sharp were to step out of the pages of Vanity Fair and into present-day London, she wouldn't be plotting from a chaise longue in the parlour – she'd be on the treadmill at a luxury gym, watching a finance executive do push-ups in expensive trainers and a luxury watch. 'It's kind of a running joke between me and my girlfriends,' says Amelia, 24, who works in media. 'If you're on the lookout for a rich husband then you 'could' get a month's membership at [the exclusive health club] Third Space, meet someone, and once you've bagged your man, stop the subscription, or, better yet, get him to pay for it.' Welcome to 2025, where feminism has given young women unprecedented freedom – and yet, thanks to extortionate house prices, sluggish salaries and a cost of living crisis, some are being forced to revisit a centuries-old economic model: marry rich and live well. 'The truth is I can't afford not to meet someone who earns more than I do,' says Jemima, 31, who works in art and lives in a rented flat share in Archway, north London. 'My parents don't have enough money to give me a good deposit and my own salary will never breach the six-figure mark. I love my job but I also want a kitchen island and a garden and the occasional holiday. Is that really so much to ask?' Apparently not, according to TikTok, anyway. Last year, a song went viral on the social media app with the lyrics, 'I'm looking for a man in finance: trust fund, 6'5', blue eyes,' went viral – not as satire but as something closer to a lifestyle manifesto. The song's creator later said that it was meant to be a parody of the 'soft life' influencers: women who encourage their peers to find themselves a 'provider' to take care of them, and then spend their days procreating, shopping and travelling without any financial responsibilities. As one commenter under the original post rather bluntly put it, 'I'll marry for money so my kids can marry for love'. Jemima, like Becky Sharpe, is attractive and intelligent, but with a freedom that Thackeray's most famous character could only dream of. She has a good degree from a Russell Group university, a high-status job and – after spending her early twenties living in Paris and Madrid – can switch to French or Spanish mid-sentence if she feels like it. With no children and healthy parents, she can reinvent herself or relocate at will. Her sights, however, are firmly set on becoming Mrs Hedge Fund Manager. Stephanie Alice Baker, a sociology professor at City St George's, believes this is a logical – if somewhat depressing – response to the economic upheaval of our time. 'Despite the rise of feminism, many young women who have ticked all the boxes they were told to are still struggling financially,' she says, 'so there is something very tempting in this idea being promoted on social media about living a kept life. These accounts tell women to meet a rich man by going here or wearing this, but what they are really offering is a remedy to the difficulties an entire generation feels.' As Baker notes: the advice isn't vague. It's practical and strategic. Influencers – mostly American for now – share curated guides on how to bag high net-worth boyfriends: join country clubs, frequent expensive supermarkets, gatecrash glossy parties and go to church in the most exclusive parts of the city (to prove their qualifications, these videos are usually followed by clips of the influencers at Louis Vuitton or Hermes with the rich husband in question, picking out an expensive trinket while he gazes on adoringly). TikTok's Mina Rich, who apparently married a 'seven-figure entrepreneur', recommends golf tournaments, philanthropic galas and 'accidental' encounters at high-end art galleries. Britain, of course, is a little different – but that doesn't mean the same impulse doesn't exist. Anna Bey, who is based in London, advises her followers to profit from the summer and travel to islands like Mykonos or Ibiza, where rich young men tend to congregate. Her other banker-meeting spots include art openings, Chelsea pubs and the business class lounge at Heathrow Terminal Five. A former personal trainer at Third Space agrees that the luxury health clubs popping up around London are the 2025 version of the Nineties singles bars. 'The men are mainly lawyers, finance bros, tech people and, depending on the branch, digital influencers,' she says. 'There's lots of cash going around. In my opinion, the best way to mingle with men is on the gym floor. It'll be rare for you to start conversation in the classes as the main goal is to sweat, but on the floor you can take your time and rest and potentially share the rack.' Slightly more manageable for anyone earning £30,000 a year are the bars and pubs around Monument and Cannon Street, where City boys tend to congregate for drinks after work. 'We all know which private members' clubs in the City are worth joining,' says one anonymous user on Reddit (The Walbrook Club, The City of London Club, and Ned's Club, apparently). 'If you're looking to meet someone rich, there's no point joining Soho House, the Groucho or Quo Vadis – they're just filled with arty types paying off a mortgage on a small house in Zone Three.' Brutal. As gendered as it feels, Baker says this isn't an issue confined to women. 'Young people of both sexes are struggling to make ends meet or buy a property or even a car. All the markers of adulthood their parents and grandparents attained relatively easily are no longer seen as feasible. As a result, they turn to people peddling fantasies on social media: men have Andrew Tate telling them how to get rich quick; women have influencers telling them to put on a dress and go to a City bar – but it is all part of the same phenomenon and it does make sense in late-stage capitalism.' Hence Jemima being so determined to meet her marriage goals that, in order to control any dangerous impulses to go out with a scruffy DJ or a badly-behaved artist, she has even set herself some rules: from now on she'll only date men who went to Oxbridge or one of the Ivy League universities, who already make over £150,000 and who, ideally, own their own home. 'I realise it sounds a bit much, as I don't tick any of those boxes myself, but men have different criteria, and if I want the sort of life that was normal a generation ago then I have to stick to them,' she reasons. Sadly the truth, as Becky Sharpe learnt all too quickly herself, is that money tends to end up with money. 'The number one way to marry rich is proximity,' says Vivian Tu, an author and TikTok influencer who teaches people how to make the big bucks. 'If you're born into a wealthy family, you are far more likely to marry someone rich; if you want to marry someone who went to an Ivy League college, good luck – unless you went to an Ivy League yourself, in which case it is pretty easy. If you want to meet someone in finance then work in finance yourself: it's much easier to find a rich and successful husband when you yourself are rich and successful – focus on the main plot-line and the rest of the story comes together.' In Britain, of course, this is also wrapped up in class. One friend – who married one of the country's more eligible aristocrats – laughs when I text to ask exactly how she met her husband. 'LOL', she replies. And then a few minutes later adds, 'At a shoot. I was invited at the last minute and he was there and we were put next to each other on the Saturday night. We then saw each other around and about in London a few times and ended up snogging outside a pub.' The sad truth is that, however motivated they are, most women do not move in the sort of circles where they are casually invited to shooting weekends with 48 hours' notice. And anyway, perhaps they should be careful of what they wish for. 'So much is lost in these broad brush strokes,' says Baker. 'It makes a lot of sense for people who are struggling to long for an easier life, but it is not necessarily a happier life if they are not fulfilled: they might have material wealth, but not the sense they have reached their own goals. Anyone who is aware of the history of marriage would know that we should pause before wishing to go back to a time when women were chattel and, yes, materially well off but with no freedom of their own.' Additional reporting by Millie Smith Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The women joining high-end gyms for a month – to find a rich husband
If Becky Sharp were to step out of the pages of Vanity Fair and into present-day London, she wouldn't be plotting from a chaise longue in the parlour – she'd be on the treadmill at a luxury gym, watching a finance executive do push-ups in expensive trainers and a luxury watch. 'It's kind of a running joke between me and my girlfriends,' says Amelia, 24, who works in media. ' If you're on the lookout for a rich husband then you 'could' get a month's membership at [the exclusive health club] Third Space, meet someone, and once you've bagged your man, stop the subscription, or, better yet, get him to pay for it.' Welcome to 2025, where feminism has given young women unprecedented freedom – and yet, thanks to extortionate house prices, sluggish salaries and a cost of living crisis, some are being forced to revisit a centuries-old economic model: marry rich and live well. 'The truth is I can't afford not to meet someone who earns more than I do,' says Jemima, 31, who works in art and lives in a rented flat share in Archway, north London. 'My parents don't have enough money to give me a good deposit and my own salary will never breach the six-figure mark. I love my job but I also want a kitchen island and a garden and the occasional holiday. Is that really so much to ask?' Apparently not, according to TikTok, anyway. Last year, a song went viral on the social media app with the lyrics, 'I'm looking for a man in finance: trust fund, 6'5', blue eyes,' went viral – not as satire but as something closer to a lifestyle manifesto. The song's creator later said that it was meant to be a parody of the 'soft life' influencers: women who encourage their peers to find themselves a 'provider' to take care of them, and then spend their days procreating, shopping and travelling without any financial responsibilities. As one commenter under the original post rather bluntly put it, 'I'll marry for money so my kids can marry for love'. Jemima, like Becky Sharpe, is attractive and intelligent, but with a freedom that Thackeray's most famous character could only dream of. She has a good degree from a Russell Group university, a high-status job and – after spending her early twenties living in Paris and Madrid – can switch to French or Spanish mid-sentence if she feels like it. With no children and healthy parents, she can reinvent herself or relocate at will. Her sights, however, are firmly set on becoming Mrs Hedge Fund Manager. Stephanie Alice Baker, a sociology professor at City St George's, believes this is a logical – if somewhat depressing – response to the economic upheaval of our time. 'Despite the rise of feminism, many young women who have ticked all the boxes they were told to are still struggling financially,' she says, 'so there is something very tempting in this idea being promoted on social media about living a kept life. These accounts tell women to meet a rich man by going here or wearing this, but what they are really offering is a remedy to the difficulties an entire generation feels.' As Baker notes: the advice isn't vague. It's practical and strategic. Influencers – mostly American for now – share curated guides on how to bag high net-worth boyfriends: join country clubs, frequent expensive supermarkets, gatecrash glossy parties and go to church in the most exclusive parts of the city (to prove their qualifications, these videos are usually followed by clips of the influencers at Louis Vuitton or Hermes with the rich husband in question, picking out an expensive trinket while he gazes on adoringly). TikTok's Mina Rich, who apparently married a 'seven-figure entrepreneur', recommends golf tournaments, philanthropic galas and 'accidental' encounters at high-end art galleries. Britain, of course, is a little different – but that doesn't mean the same impulse doesn't exist. Anna Bey, who is based in London, advises her followers to profit from the summer and travel to islands like Mykonos or Ibiza, where rich young men tend to congregate. Her other banker-meeting spots include art openings, Chelsea pubs and the business class lounge at Heathrow Terminal Five. A former personal trainer at Third Space agrees that the luxury health clubs popping up around London are the 2025 version of the Nineties singles bars. 'The men are mainly lawyers, finance bros, tech people and, depending on the branch, digital influencers,' she says. 'There's lots of cash going around. In my opinion, the best way to mingle with men is on the gym floor. It'll be rare for you to start conversation in the classes as the main goal is to sweat, but on the floor you can take your time and rest and potentially share the rack.' Slightly more manageable for anyone earning £30,000 a year are the bars and pubs around Monument and Cannon Street, where City boys tend to congregate for drinks after work. 'We all know which private members' clubs in the City are worth joining,' says one anonymous user on Reddit (The Walbrook Club, The City of London Club, and Ned's Club, apparently). 'If you're looking to meet someone rich, there's no point joining Soho House, the Groucho or Quo Vadis – they're just filled with arty types paying off a mortgage on a small house in Zone Three.' Brutal. As gendered as it feels, Baker says this isn't an issue confined to women. 'Young people of both sexes are struggling to make ends meet or buy a property or even a car. All the markers of adulthood their parents and grandparents attained relatively easily are no longer seen as feasible. As a result, they turn to people peddling fantasies on social media: men have Andrew Tate telling them how to get rich quick; women have influencers telling them to put on a dress and go to a City bar – but it is all part of the same phenomenon and it does make sense in late-stage capitalism.' Hence Jemima being so determined to meet her marriage goals that, in order to control any dangerous impulses to go out with a scruffy DJ or a badly-behaved artist, she has even set herself some rules: from now on she'll only date men who went to Oxbridge or one of the Ivy League universities, who already make over £150,000 and who, ideally, own their own home. 'I realise it sounds a bit much, as I don't tick any of those boxes myself, but men have different criteria, and if I want the sort of life that was normal a generation ago then I have to stick to them,' she reasons. Sadly the truth, as Becky Sharpe learnt all too quickly herself, is that money tends to end up with money. 'The number one way to marry rich is proximity,' says Vivian Tu, an author and TikTok influencer who teaches people how to make the big bucks. 'If you're born into a wealthy family, you are far more likely to marry someone rich; if you want to marry someone who went to an Ivy League college, good luck – unless you went to an Ivy League yourself, in which case it is pretty easy. If you want to meet someone in finance then work in finance yourself: it's much easier to find a rich and successful husband when you yourself are rich and successful – focus on the main plot-line and the rest of the story comes together.' In Britain, of course, this is also wrapped up in class. One friend – who married one of the country's more eligible aristocrats – laughs when I text to ask exactly how she met her husband. 'LOL', she replies. And then a few minutes later adds, 'At a shoot. I was invited at the last minute and he was there and we were put next to each other on the Saturday night. We then saw each other around and about in London a few times and ended up snogging outside a pub.' The sad truth is that, however motivated they are, most women do not move in the sort of circles where they are casually invited to shooting weekends with 48 hours' notice. And anyway, perhaps they should be careful of what they wish for. 'So much is lost in these broad brush strokes,' says Baker. 'It makes a lot of sense for people who are struggling to long for an easier life, but it is not necessarily a happier life if they are not fulfilled: they might have material wealth, but not the sense they have reached their own goals. Anyone who is aware of the history of marriage would know that we should pause before wishing to go back to a time when women were chattel and, yes, materially well off but with no freedom of their own.'
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Contemporary art festival evolves and revolves after 11 years
Saint John's nighttime contemporary art festival Third Shift is ready to make the city its canvas next month for its 11th year running. This year's festival, themed REVOLVE, will feature as many as 40 artworks in installations throughout the city's uptown core from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, and programming throughout the weekend including films and artist talks. The REVOLVE theme symbolizes 'ever-changing, constant flow of ideas' fuelling art, according to a press release. The festival, which drew an estimated 6,400 guests last year, has grown to involve around 100 artists in some shape or form annually, according to Manny Travers, executive director of the Third Space gallery, which organizes the event. Travers, in his fourth year helping coordinate the festival, says the annual event is 'often Saint Johners' most unique experience with contemporary art.' 'Because our festival ... moves around the city, it means that a lot of the projects in it are unique or one of a kind, not usually something you'd encounter within a white-walled gallery space,' he said. The festival has a peer-juried process involving community members, artists and past participants to pick which pieces are featured, according to Travers. 'This ensures that the selection is representative of our community as well as the theme and the needs of our artists,' he said, adding it's a 'low-barrier' process open to new artists. The addition of themes in 2021 helps keep the festival fresh, encouraging 'unique and exploratory' pieces to guide artists making new projects, Travers said. 'It also helps that Saint John has been a constant ever-changing landscape,' he said, offering a 'fantastic array' of urban spaces like parking lots and walls to utilize. Travers said the festival has made 'great strides' in location seeking with help from the city, and it's 'really nice' to have fewer 'construction hiccups' this year. The theme reflects the work of artist-in-residence Tony Nicholas, Travers said, whose project Cycles depicts the lifecycle of an Atlantic salmon with flipbook-style animation. Travers said Nicholas' works include plants and animals as well as 'the abstract and ambiguity.' 'It's a matter of recycling ideas, being born or reborn and being part of the greater ecosystems that we live in, like fish do,' Travers said. 'A lot of artists will have these ideas, they come to life, they come to fruition, and sometimes they evolve and other times they get set aside.' Artworks will be announced online leading up to the event, with festival associate Will Gallant recommending Let me be your punching bag! by Narges Porsandekhial, which invites guests to write their struggles on a boxing target and then take out their frustrations. Another festival associate Lila Vair, recommended While Supplies Last by Laura Paolini, who will laminate 'unconventional materials' like eggshells and hair, according to a posting. 'I think this is one of the most interactive festivals,' Gallant said. 'There's very few (pieces) that are static, I feel like this festival is definitely going to feel alive with how much is going on.' Vair said the pieces show 'how fun art can be,' including everything from tabletop roleplaying game character creation to 'weaving into a tent' and creating a cityscape projection. 'I'm really really excited for people to learn something new and realize that things they pursue in their day to day life or as a hobby can be art,' she said. Travers said the festival is a 'labour of love' for the artists and the gallery itself, which is a 'spaceless' organization that runs events throughout the year. 'Being able to put on a festival that is guided and created through the lens of an artist and not a commercial business, it really makes for an open-ended and accessible opportunity that anyone can partake in,' said Travers. The festival starts with the Third Watch film showcase at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 at the BMO Studio Theatre on Princess Street, continues with Third Shift itself on Aug. 16 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., followed by post-festival karaoke starting at 10:45 p.m. at Haven Music Hall on Union Street. The festival concludes with artist talks on Sunday, with all events free and for all-ages. Schedule information can be found at and on social media. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tacoma's best new bakery is quirky and talented. Try the churro cruffins
Miguel Silva-Glenn worked in many New York kitchens, but it was a stint at a bakery known for its chocolate babka — in a city with lots of luscious babkas — that changed his life, and maybe ours, if you're likewise on an insatiable quest for pastries of a certain kind in or near Tacoma. At Breads Bakery, the Mexico City native met Keely, who was looking for a part-time job while in college. The manager jokingly advised them to keep their distance. 'He was wrong!' she recalled this spring at their commissary kitchen in Central Tacoma, where their mobile-and-wholesale-only Lobo Bakery miraculously manages to bake around 1,000 'croissant units' every week. On a recent Wednesday, Miguel was tending to mounds of freshly made dough awaiting their overnight rest before being portioned, laminated and rested again. They bake most of their weekly haul on Fridays, filling dozens with homemade raspberry-plum jam, roasted apricots and crushed pistachios, chocolate and tahini. They maneuver the same laminated dough into three-inch tall metal tins to create towering cruffins, the muffin-croissant hybrid that originated in Melbourne, Australia, in the early 2010s. A signature move for the Miguel-Silvas involves rolling the pastry in sugar and piping in dulce de leche — find these churro cruffins most Saturdays at the Proctor and Puyallup farmers market and weekdays at Third Space and Naomi Joe Coffee. Lobo Bakery is elusive in that way, but pastry people (myself included) will travel for the right stuff, and Lobo has surely got it. The Miguel-Silvas left the big city for Keely's home state about a decade ago, in search of a more affordable living and perhaps an eventual business of their own. They lived mostly in Seattle until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic urged them across the Cascades to be closer to family. They started delivering babkas, kouign-amann, tartes and flan directly to customers and to a few local grocers in Spokane under the name The Collection Bakery. Readying for their next life move, they missed New York but saw an opportunity in the South Sound, where the pastry game still feels wide open. 'It's so much money to start your own thing there,' noted Miguel, especially without outside investment. Instead of returning to Seattle, they bought a home in Lakewood. Amid raising two young children, they taught themselves how to laminate pastry through YouTube videos and cookbooks, found a commercial kitchen space, invested in some new equipment and relaunched the bakery in Pierce County with a focus on croissants. Steadily, word has spread of their fine honeycomb structure, of their playful flavor combinations and of their varying shapes such as 'squiggles' and 'knots'. Instead of combining naturally tangy rhubarb ('to me it's sweet enough,' said Keely) with the usual strawberry, for instance, a recent spring favorite added lemon. Their classic almond croissant stands out, too, omitting the usual extract and relying on their own frangipane blitzed with skin-on almonds. In less than five years they have conjured around five dozen flavors, including raspberry and hibiscus, cherry and cardamom, strawberry and lychee, roasted pineapple and rum. Their strengths also extend beyond viennoiserie into chocolate chip cookies, Ukrainian honey cake, the occasional empanada, tres leches, challah and focaccia. 'You know, we worked at an Israeli-Jewish bakery,' said Keely, nodding to his Mexican and her Ukrainian families. 'We try to integrate our culture and our culinary backgrounds.' Also: 'We both get bored!' Just a few hours into a baking marathon ahead of a jam-packed Mother's Day weekend, the lineup featured croissant 'nests' topped by burnt strawberry jam, raspberry-rhubarb compote with pastry cream, and lemon curd with meringue. They use every scrap of their laminated dough — remnants are reconfigured into flaky cinnamon rolls, pecan sticky buns and the 'pretty and evil at the same time' croissant knots. With the help of two employees in the kitchen and Keely's mother at home, they have committed to four farmers markets for the high season: Lakewood on Tuesdays plus Proctor, Puyallup and Maple Valley on Saturdays. In March, they unveiled their new branding and wolf logo ('something a little wild and a little weird!' as they describe it) and announced their first push into wholesale, which already has a waiting list. They're taking it slowly because — praise be to the benevolent croissant lords — they have every intention of opening their own storefront in Tacoma, said Keely. 'So we want to make sure we're crafting to high-quality standards but add some variety, and not overextend or over-saturate the market for our own brick-and-mortar.' Wherever they land, Miguel anticipates doubling-down on his cooking experience by resurrecting The Collection concept as a seasonal supper club. For now, taste the not-too-sweet treats for yourself at the following locations: ▪ Naomi Joe Coffee, 2101 Jefferson Ave. — daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ▪ Third Space, 921 Pacific Ave. — Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-3 p.m. ▪ Lakewood Farmers Market, Fort Steilacoom Park, Tuesdays 2-7 p.m. ▪ Proctor Farmers Market, North 27th and Proctor, Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. ▪ Maple Valley Farmers Market, 25719 Maple Valley Black Diamond Road SE, Saturdays 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ▪ Details: croissant-focused mobile/wholesale bakery, seeking storefront by 2026; follow for updates and weekly menus
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Anticipated downtown cafe now open with biscuit sandwiches, horchata coffee
Third Space, a new Tacoma cafe serving breakfast sandwiches on housemade biscuits, locally roasted coffee with custom syrups, and hard-to-get pastries, is now open at 921 Pacific Ave. Owner Kevin Lee set out to build a space that would fulfill quick needs for office workers while also providing a daytime destination in the downtown core. He kicked things off with just drinks and pastries on April 14, building to include sandwiches on April 21. This week, he'll introduce the lunch menu. Core to the offerings are square biscuits in classic butter-only and cheddar-chive. They are appropriately sturdy for handhelds that range from a bacon, egg and cheese to a vegetarian choice with fresh guacamole. For more of a snack, grab one for $5 with another housemade specialty: strawberry jam. The pastry case here is another compelling reason to choose Third Space, as Lee was very intentional in partnering with other local food and drink businesses. From Lobo Bakery, indulge in a selection of laminated pastries ($6) ranging from an almond croissant to a seasonal number most recently filled with lemon-laced rhubarb. Don't sleep on the cruffins, especially the churro number filled with dulce de leche. The Common Cookie, based in Sumner, has delivered a series of sumptuous treats ($5.50) that happen to be gluten-free, such as the macadami-banana and the glazed blueberry-lemon which was reminiscent of a muffin in all the best ways. Coffee, of course, is a draw, and the beans come from just a mile away at Naomi Joe inside 7 Seas Brewing's Tacoma taproom. (Naomi Joe Coffee is also one of the only other ways to secure Lobo pastries outside of a few farmers markets.) In addition to the usual espresso drinks, house specialties highlight subtly sweet syrups that Lee and his staff also make on site. Try the Orange Spice latte, finished with real zest, or the horchata with a creamy cinnamon boost. One special note: Like most coffee shops today, Third Space keeps cow's milk and alternatives in the fridge, but you won't pay extra for the latter. Whether you need to be dairy-free or prefer it, Lee doesn't think it should cost you more. Lee started working on the former Pita Pit space late last year. Thank goodness he got rid of the bright-green and dark-gray paint, refreshing it with a cool midnight blue and swapping the pendant lighting for mod-style frosted globes with gold accents. He kept the footprint of the kitchen that now feels less like a fast-food operation than a modern open kitchen with a wood-slat base and quartz countertop, behind which you can see staff cracking eggs right onto the griddle. Seating aims to satisfy various needs. Have a quick meeting at the lounge area in one of the street-facing windows. Take a coworker or friend to lunch at one of the tables along a banquette. Grab a quick bite at a high-top. The big mural on the main wall with characters eating, working and chatting showcases the Third Space mentality as 'a place to socialize that's not home or work,' as Lee described it last fall. He left his management job at Beecher's Cheese to open his own business, taking after his parents who ran a couple of cafes in downtown Tacoma when he was growing up. The Third Space Instagram page has amassed more than 21,000 followers in just a few short months, thanks in part to his deep-dive 'Starting My Own Cafe' video series. Over 31 episodes so far, he has documented everything from permitting with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and sharing his vision with the graphic designer behind the shop's cute branding, to picking paint colors and perfecting recipes. He visited equipment providers, walking through rows of espresso machines and coffee grinders, and got the low-down from the technician who fixed the walk-in cooler. Along the way, he also divulged detailed numbers — down to the cent — in a rare behind-the-scenes of what it really takes to start a small food business. Think nearly $26,000 plus a loan for every piece of coffee equipment. After the inaugural week, just with coffee and pastries, he said the cafe brought in a little more than $5,300 in sales. Then he broke down the cost of goods (about $1,600), labor (around $1,700) and weekly rent ($980). On paper, that lands about $1,040 in profit — before other expenses such as internet, utilities and loans, he explained. 'I think it's safe to say we're probably in the negative this week,' Lee said in that April 20 video, but 'for this week, the most important thing is not our numbers, but that we were able to get open to serve you and have such amazing people come through our doors.' As Third Space settles in, look for the menu to evolve into lunchier sandwiches and salads, with later hours and weekend service possible. ▪ 921 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, ▪ Current hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. ▪ Details: new cafe with local coffee, pastries and house biscuits, sandwiches and salads; weekend hours anticipated in coming months
