A basket of goodies from Bobo’s Oat Bars, a hand-woven Indian rug, three bags of compost and private lessons on everything from playing the guitar to parenting: these are just some of the unique items and experiences that can be found at the New Deal Café’s online fundraising auction, called Let’s Make a New Deal, sponsored by Beltway Plaza. The auction is live until September 26 and has made more than $12,250 in the past two weeks to support the Café’s operation. This brings the total to 81.7 percent of the current auction goal of $15,000.
The cooperative eatery and music venue in Roosevelt Center shut its doors in March due to safety concerns amid the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Even though the Café’s food contractor, DC Vegan, has reopened for takeout and, more recently, outdoor patio service, the Café continues to call on its network of patrons for financial support.
“This was a crisis and still is a crisis for cafés,” said Mark Cheater, the New Deal Café’s board secretary, who facilitates Café marketing and communications. “We need to run as close to 100 percent capacity as possible to make money in the arts industry.”
Wins Boost Auction
This last week of the auction comes right after the announcement that the Café won the Best Place to Experience Local Music title in the Washington City Paper’s annual Best of D.C. contest. The Café placed third in Best Music Venue and Best Place to Have Dinner with Live Music. Auctioneer Arlene Kaminsky is hoping this announcement will draw new patrons to the auction site. A recent retiree from the advertising department of the Washington City Paper, Kaminsky knows how important the Best of D.C. contest is to giving food and music venues recognition. “The people they’re up against are some of the major players in the D.C.-Maryland area,” Kaminsky said. “Best of D.C. gives Greenbelt outside recognition.”
A self-described New Deal Café fan and Silver Spring resident, Kaminsky volunteered to set up and run the auction. She put the fundraiser together in two months. Normally, she reported, auctions are planned over a nine-month period and she has been calling and emailing potential donors non-stop. Even now Kaminsky still checks the auction site every day to talk with auction winners and to proofread for mistakes.
The New Deal Café has “such a loyal and amazing following,” Kaminsky said, noting that winners have frequently added donations to the listing cost of the item they have bought. “It’s got that small town feel in the middle of the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia metropolitan area) and people just care so much that they add money.”
Thrilled by Response
Cheater also expressed gratitude for bidders and said he was “humbled and thrilled” by the response to the auction. “Every dollar is a dollar we didn’t have before,” he said.
After the auction ends, the Café will continue to fundraise to help support the cooperative. Cheater said the board of directors is discussing opening the indoor dining space but is navigating how to do that in a safe way. “We desperately want to reopen and have music playing again and welcome our patrons back, but we need to do it safely and in a financially viable way,” he said. “It’s Greenbelt’s community living room and we’re trying to do everything we can to stay in business right now.”
Julia Arbutus is a University of Maryland graduate student in journalism reporting for the News Review.
