The bar remains a key point of reference for a community, especially in areas far from urban centers. And when a town begins to depopulate, the first risk is the closure of all businesses, starting with what is commonly called "the village bar."
Starting from here, the program was launched in France “1000 cafés”, a social innovation initiative designed for reopen or create multi-service bars/cafés in small rural towns who have lost their basic services. And thus risk worsening the risk of depopulation.
The project works in the following ways:
Who can participate
- Mostly rural municipalities with fewer than 3.500 inhabitants
- The project almost always starts from a mayoral candidacy
- An available space is required (municipal or private to be reactivated)
How a “café 1000 cafés” was born
The process is a collaboration between:
- Municipality (mairie)
- inhabitants
- Groupe SOS / 1000 cafés team
- potential entrepreneurs or managers
It is not a classic franchise and each bar is conceived, designed and built based on the characteristics of the village where it is planned.
The official website of the project is “Network of 1000 cafés" which show all the activities and memberships. And today the focus of the project is no longer just on new openings, but also on maintenance, management and network of rural services.
Cafés are no longer just bars selling tobacco and newspapers, but often include:
- postal services or relay points
- small local administrative services
- local cultural events
- light coworking or public spaces.
Cover image source: 100 cafés/Facebook
Read also:
- Importance of the bar for a light life
- Breakfast Suspended: The Cafés Where Breakfast Is Free
- Monfalcone: the bar that lends books
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