East Fremont's Inspire News Café Sets an Opening Date

Tony Hsieh and his Downtown Project may believe "passionate people with shared interests creates collaboration, innovation, opportunities to share resources," but none of the project's social media outlets is sharing the news that Inspire News Café will debut on Jan. 28 at 9 a.m. For that information, you need to look up at an advertisement on the video screen outside the Inspire performance venue that will host the city's "first international newsstand" and coffee shop.

On the ground floor more than 300 magazines can be perused, alongside "sophisticated yet down-to-earth dining options" and "a limited menu of fresh, high quality "grab and go" items." A sliding service window on Fremont Street will also be available, if stepping inside is too burdensome.

The Café will be WiFi friendly and full of indoor and outdoor chairs, benches, sofas and "semi-secret nooks." Pre-opening plans call for the space to be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to midnight and on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An event schedule website for the complex has yet to appear. Inspire is currently attached to two Facebook pages, two Twitter feeds and one rudimentary web page. Downtown Project's own website designed for the curious public has not updated their news section since Dec. 1. Ironically, Downtown Project hosts a weekly Tech Cocktail event, where local technology-minded individuals are encouraged to network.

Zappos boss Tony Hsieh and his Downtown Project redevelopment company bought the building for $4.1 million in March 2012 and Future Restaurant Group's Michael Cornthwaite is running the Theater, Cafe and Wayfarer and Roof bars inside. New downtown visitors monitoring the theater's exterior video screen will confusingly see promotions for Cornthwaite's other ventures, The Boozery, The Beatnik and Emergency Arts without explanations they are not in the building below the video monitor.
· All Coverage of Inspire Theater [~ELV~]