  blue manatee decafé: first, the essentials |
|||||||||||||||||
| decafé hours | Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 7:00am - 6:00pm Perfect on the way to school/work, on the way home, after practice, breakfast, lunch, bonding, or times of fatigued desperation. Make us a so-good habit! |
||||||||||||||||
| what we serve |
Peruse our Short Story Menu for details,
or download a pdf
version and take it to go.
|
||||||||||||||||
| and now, our story | blue
manatee children’s bookstore has been on Oakley Square since
1989. In the fall of 2005, we broke down both walls and limitations
and realized a dream: providing the best for growing bodies and
brains in one inspired space. The result was blue manatee
decafé — a first-of-its-kind, child-focused,
adult-friendly café - Oakley’s only independent coffee
house. Ours was an extreme makeover to say the least, brimming with agony and ecstasy. Imagine: boarded-up windows, gray, mildew, layers of smoke-saturated carpet upon pockmarked tile. For those of you brave at heart, view some remodeling photos. A few metric tons of plaster, sweat, pain, paint, debt, and hope later, here we are: a manatee, adorned with bamboo flooring, restored brickwork, custom countertops, vibrant colors, and a whole lot of love! Scroll through our store photos to see us now! blue manatee decafé has ample seating and light, custom I Spy and chalkboard tables, original artwork, and of course, plenty to read. A gathering space connects the rear of the decafé and the bookstore, with a high-relief, manatee-themed mural by Art Works, an award-winning, non-profit arts organization employing Greater Cincinnati youth. This is an ideal spot for a birthday party (room for 12 wee revelers), a baby shower, afternoon tea, book club, or a group meeting. What better venue to trim dullness, stress, and/or grown-uppityness from an astrophysics lecture, corporate merger strategy session, constitutional law hearing, political debate, Brahms concerto, or fine art auction? Please visit our party page for more information. Ahoy, teens and technophiles: we are a wi-fi hot spot! |
||||||||||||||||
| our philosophy | blue
manatee is designed with kids in mind. All human beings
were once children. Children deserve a place as enlightened and fun as they are, free from boring grownup sections, token play areas, dorky mascots, gimmicky impulse buys, weird lingo, and growth-stunting kids’ menus. We should never forget to pause and smell the coffee (smoothies, scones...). A child is indeed a flower, but this doesn’t mean that they should be fertilized with you-know-what. Growing minds and bodies need nutrition, be it in the form of words, artwork, food, or drink. We strive to serve only the best, free from pesticides, hormones, dumbing-down, watering-down, and all things unsettling. “More” is not a synonym for “good deal.” “Famous” is not a synonym for “good writer.” “Cartoon” is not a synonym for “good children’s book.” “Organic” is not a synonym for “an excuse to charge a good deal more.” Almost everything that we serve is organic. We often wonder why our competition doesn’t charge extra for additives. The most elegant ecosystems are local. We do not outsource creativity, decision making, nor service. We seek local suppliers, to stay fresh and interesting. Thus, rather than having to consult a GPS device to identify in which city the generic strip mall, with the generic mega-book/coffee chain, with the hard-to-pronounce, socially-aware coffee, defrosted mega-muffins, and hunter-green decor, you are in is located, when you come to blue manatee, you will know that you are in Cincinnati, your hometown (pardon the passionate run-on). Thus, we are a Tall-Grande-Venti-Penza-Tazo-TakeOvertheMundoiccino-Free Zone. We are all in this together. You are the reason we are here; we are the reason you are here. Thus, we will be respectful of our customers, while setting appropriate limits to ensure the safety and serenity of everyone. We will open early, but not too early. We will stay open late, but not too late. We will not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, orientation, politics, reading level, diapers/not, playground acumen, baldness, or grown-uppityness (note: grumpiness is a notable exception). We will seek out local partners and support local economies, enmeshing ourselves in the great, though fragile ecosystem of community and commerce, thereby adding a little fun and alertness to the world. Welcome. |
||||||||||||||||
| a final word about waste | Since
manatees don’t leave footprints, we strive to not leave any
either. Thus, our hot cups are unbleached. Our cold cups are made
from compostable, biodegradable corn. Our napkins, toilet paper,
trash bags, and cup jackets are all 100% post-consumer recycled.
We use (and thoroughly wash) real dishes. It’s the least we
can do. And that’s really all. Please: eat, drink, read, enjoy... |
||||||||||||||||
