Vox Pop Cafe, the iconic Cortelyou Road cafe, bookstore and performance space was once again closed down by the IRS and it looks like this closure is permanent.

Liena, who writes the Ditmas Park Blog had this to say about what seems to be Vox Pop’s final closure: “After the latest seizure by the marshalls this morning, Debi Ryan says she has had enough. And before any of you snarky commenters put fingers to the keyboard, I just wanted to say that I have never seen anyone work harder at making Vox Pop work for our community – to be the space to meet, talk, learn, listen – over coffee or not. The neighborhood simply is not the same without it. What will become of it, time will show. Right now though – leave a kind note for them.”

For the past year or more the cafe has been closed numerous times by the IRS for non-payment of back taxes. There were many “Save Vox Pop” town hall meetings and benefit shows and the cafe, under the leadership of its new manager,  Debi Ryan, was able to revive again and again after these setbacks. The IRS leans were a result of the previous ownership (and financial mismanagement) of Vox Pop by Sander Hicks, who is no longer an owner of the cafe (note: you can also read about Hicks in a New York Observer article by Alexander Zaitchik. In 2009, the cafe was transformed into a “for-profit collective” with shares owned by various community members.

In 2004, Sander Hicks and his then-wife Holley Anderson started the cafe with seed money from the sale of Holley’s family farm. In fact, the children’s loft section in the cafe (which looks a little like a barn) is actually from that farm. The original conception was a cafe/bookstore/performance space/community center and self-publishing mecca (called Publish Yourself) that would morph into a national franchise of political cafes.

Vox Pop was the first cafe of its kind on Corteylou Road and it quickly became a community destination with its decidedly progressive politics, free trade coffee and vegan menu. Since opening, The Farm on Adderly, Sycamore, Purple Yam and other neighborhood spots have opened and Corteylou Road now has a growing mix of ethnic businesses, basic service shops run by longtime shopkeepers and new shops catering to the gentrifying neighborhood.

It can’t have been easy for Hicks to walk away from his unique creation. It was no doubt the best thing for him and for the cafe. In Ryan, he found the perfect successor to keep his vision alive. It was a peaceful transition of power  with a  board made up of long-time Vox Poppers including Sander’s ex-wife, Holley.

Continue reading my interview with Debi Ryan from March 30th, 2009.

On Saturday I decided it was time I went out to Vox Pop, the popular cafe and performance space in the Ditmas/Flatbush section of Brooklyn to see for myself what was going on. I was intrigued by the email press releases I was getting about “Save Vox Pop” town hall meetings and benefit shows  but I didn’t really understand what had gone wrong at Vox Pop and why it was in need of an urgent economic bailout.

I was also fascinated that the cafe was being turned into a “for-profit collective” and that members of the community were buying shares in the place. At the heart of all this activity was a woman named Debi Ryan who had taken over for Sander  Hicks as CEO of the Cafe but had never set foot in Vox Pop before December 2008 (just four months ago).

It sounded like a story

When I got to Vox Pop, Debi was in the upstairs loft. With long brown frizzy hair, hip eyeglasses and a strong, smart face, Debi has a direct and friendly persona; she waved me up the creaky spiral staircase. Down below in the cafe, a young woman was standing on a tall ladder erasing the huge blackboard behind the counter and a tween-age boy was washing the windows. The tables had been moved outdoors to make room for the crowd expected at Saturday night’s benefit show with the local band, Loom.

It didn’t seem like the best time for an interview with a show just two hours away, but Debi seemed game and I started firing questions.

I asked her to walk me through how she came to be involved at Vox Pop and she obliged. As a business consultant to small and mid-sized businesses, Debi was asked by a mutual friend to come and talk to Sander Hicks, the founder of Vox Pop, about a business plan for the cafe, which was in serious financial trouble in December due to an under-capitalized new branch of the cafe at the Bowery Poetry Club.

Sander, who founded Vox Pop as a politically progressive cafe (with the hopes of franchising the idea), was reluctant to close the Lower East Side branch. Debi told Sander that she would take over the Brooklyn branch for 60 days  if he would attempt a last ditch effort to make the Vox Pop at the Bowery Poetry Club profitable. It had already become a serious financial drain on the Brooklyn cafe.

Soon after it became apparent that the Bowery Vox Pop would have to close and that the Brooklyn cafe would need new leadership to get it through its economic  travails. Sander resigned as did the original board of directors. A new board was formed and Debit took over as CEO. Soon after, Debi, who was trying to untangle Vox Pop’s financial mess discovered that there was an unpaid fine to the Health Department for $30,000. Not only that: due to this the Health Department had the right to close Vox Pop down and they did just that.

When she got to this part of the story Debi noticed that a man with a rolling suitcase had just walked into the cafe. To her horror, it was an inspector from the Health Department.

“This is the second time in 24 hours someone has been here,” Debi screamed from the loft.

“I was told by my supervisor to come here,” the inspector said holding a piece of paper.

“We’re not selling food. We’re open as a community center and a wifi space. This is the second time since yesterday that someone has come by.”

Debi went downstairs and asked  the inspector his name (Lionel) and asked him for the name of the person in his office who was repeatedly sending inspectors to Vox Pop. The inspector asked to go downstairs despite repeated assurances that he would find no food down there.

Debi wondered out  loud why Vox Pop was being “harassed” by the Health Department.

“Every 12 hours someone shows up,” she said. Finally, as the inspector prepared to leave, Debi assured him that she knew it had nothing to do with him.

“Have a good day, Lionel,” she told the inspector. But she was clearly vexed by these constant incursions from the Health Department.

After that,  Debi and I sat downstairs on a banquette and continued our talk. I  was curious about what happened to Sander Hicks, the charismatic visionary behind the cafe. She provided me with some history. In 2004, Sander and his then wife Holley Anderson started the cafe with seed money from the sale of Holley’s family farm. In fact, the children’s loft section (which looks a little like a barn) is actually from that farm. The original conception was a cafe/bookstore/performance space/community center and self-publishing mecca (called Publish Yourself) that would morph into a national franchise of political cafes.

Vox Pop was the first cafe of its kind on Corteylou Avenue and it quickly became a community destination with its decidedly progressive politics, its free trade coffee and its vegan menu. Since opening, other restaurants like The Farm on Adderly, Sycamore and other neighborhood spots have opened and Corteylou Avenue now has a growing mix of ethnic businesses, basic service shops run by longtime shopkeepers and new shops catering to the gentrifying neighborhood.

It can’t have been easy for Sander to walk away from his unique creation. Ultimately it may have been the best thing for him and for the cafe. And in Debi he may have found a perfect successor to keep his vision alive. All in all, it seems a peaceful transition of power  with a  board made up of long-time Vox Poppers including Sander’s ex-wife, Holley.

As for Sander, Debi told me that he has  a couple of book deals in the works and is set to go on tour as part of his Inaugurate Yourself campaign. Seems to me he personally has a strong brand as a charismatic visionary. There’s even an indie film based on his life. For a guy who thinks big, that might be a better route than operating a local cafe.

So who is this Debi Ryan, the angel behind Vox Pop’s resurrection? Indeed, she wears many hats. Prior to 9/11 she worked as a paramedic and a health care educator. Since 9/11, she has devoted herself to running small companies and helping non-profits prosper. She is also actively involved in the movement to save Coney Island and helps with fundraising for the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Museum and Coney Island USA.

But since walking into Vox Pop and meeting Sander Hicks on that fateful December day she’s done little else but strategize about the future of Vox Pop.

She (with her board) also came up with the plan to turn Vox Pop into a for-profit collective. That means that people can buy shares in Vox Pop; more than 175 people have already done so. Employees also have shares but they will also be paid for their labor. I assume that if the cafe makes money, the shareholders will, eventually, receive dividends.

In the last weeks, this plan has raised close to $65,000 to help Vox Pop pay off its $30,000 debt to the Health Department, 4 months of back rent to the landlord and whatever else will get them out of the red.

On Saturday night there was a benefit concert and there have been two town hall-style meetings attended by many in the community.

Spending an hour with Debi, I could tell that she’s a passionate organizer with strong skills in business. I wondered if she’ll be able to make a living wage doing this when she could be off making the big bucks running a profit or non-profit company.

“I’m not going to get rich having money,” she told me. I liked the sound of that and wrote it down as she continued.

“I like to make a difference. That’s what we’re all here to do. They don’t have to be big changes, but changes that help people.”

So how will Debi’s Vox Pop differ from Sander’s? Clearly, she wants there to be more consistency in the programming.She gives me a rundown of what she has in store:  Monday will be jazz night. Tuesday is for blues and blue grass. Wednesday night is movie night with a special emphasis on young filmmakers from Brooklyn College and the Kings County Film Society. Thursday is all about Wellness, which will include workshops with practitioners of yoga, acupressure, nutrition, pediatric medicine. Friday and Saturday is devoted to a strong line up of music and Sunday night, Debi preserves the great tradition of the Vox Pop Open Mic, “which is considered one of the best open mics in the city,” she said.

Debi also hope that the politics at Vox Pop will be more inclusive and a little more broad. “Vox Pop means voice of the people, all of the people.” She also hopes to broaden the selection of books and ideas. “But I still only want to carry self-published books. That’s important and  they need a place.”

In addition to making the politics more inclusive, Debi wants to inspire people to make Vox Pop an open forum for ideas. and a place where local artists can exhibit their work with one caveat. “They must be willing to run one workshop for the community as part of the show.”

At this point in our conversation, a woman walked in carrying a  baby in a Bjorn. She told Debi she wouldn’t make it to that night’s benefit but she wanted to make a small contribution and gave her a crumpled up $5 billl. Debi thanked her: “That’s what it’s all about,” she said. Other people walked in who had no clue that the cafe had been closed down for weeks and wasn’t serving coffee or food.

“Too bad,” they said. “I  always like to stop in here when I’m in the neighborhood.

“We should be opening up again soon,” Debi told them as they went on their way.