End of an Era: The CCM Closes
It was with great sadness that we heard yesterday of the closure of the Coffee Club on Park Road in Milton, affectionately known as the CCM.
I first discovered the CCM in November 2008, when I was looking for a suitable venue for a writing event. I tried several options that month, but once I’d spent time in the CCM, there was no looking back. I’ve been holding events there ever since, every November at first, and then every month.
The vibe in the CCM was comfortable and relaxed, which suited us well. They let us plug in our extensions and power boards so we could write on various devices. They let us hang out for hours at a time and brought coffee right to us. And it was located next to public transport and free parking, so it was easy for people to get there. It wasn’t perfect in every way, but it ticked all the important boxes for a great place to meet up with people and write.
Over the last 17 years, we’ve been through two changes of ownership, dozens of managers, and a refurbishment that took several months. Each time we went back after a change, I’d have to introduce myself and the group, see their obvious puzzlement, and then they’d relax as they got to know us.
We’ve always felt welcome there. They rearranged tables to suit us and always made space for us. They never complained when we moved things around for ourselves. They gave us prizes to give away and stayed open late into the night for events just because we asked them. I have always been grateful for their support.
The CCM felt very much like our home for many years. We even left an accidental mark on the ceiling over our usual table that lasted a decade (they painted over it only a few months ago!). I’m so sad to see it go, and I know many of you feel the same.
Recently, NaNoWriMo also announced that it was closing down. NNWM was the reason we found the CCM in the first place, and while we grew far beyond NNWM in our community and our events, it still feels fitting that they should both wrap up together.
The end of an era, indeed.
Moving Forward
However, it is not the end of anything for us here in the WordFam. For us, it means a change, but we will continue moving forward.
Your WordFam leaders now have a challenge to find a new venue for our monthly Words With the Fam: Brisbane Edition. We are investigating options as we speak and coming up with some plans.
This means we will be trying some new places over the next few months, looking for the right place to make our regular writing home in. Keep an eye on our events calendar for the locations! You can also subscribe to our calendar to get live updates into your own calendar if you want (via web or iCal).
Suggestions are welcome! If you know of somewhere that would be a good place to meet up and write, we would love to hear from you.
What we’re looking for is:
- A central-ish Brisbane location
- Allows us to plug in laptops / power boards
- Free! We don’t have a budget to pay for space. If there is stuff for sale (like a cafe!), that’s fine, as long as there’s no minimum per-person spend.
- Parking nearby
- Public transport access
- Allows food and drink (bought on-premises or BYO)
If you know somewhere that might work, let us know on the Discord server or drop a comment on this post. Let’s see how many awesome writing venues around Brisbane we can find!
To the CCM and the staff that powered it: thanks for all your support over the years. We will miss you.
I am looking forward to seeing what our next steps look like, and to seeing all your lovely faces at our next Words With the Fam catchup.