New T-Shirt Colors in for Summer!
Tultex Unisex T – 65% polyester/35% ring-spun, USA cotton blend. Stretchy and light – great for summer.
Not local to the Port Huron area or don’t see your size in our gift corner? Check out our CafePress! We have styles, colors, sizes and items we don’t carry in-house available for purchase!
Librarian’s View: Photo Album Magic
Recently when I came into work and saw a beat-up box with a note saying “scrapbook coming soon for these”, I couldn’t help but take some time to look at what was inside. In the box were pictures and post cards either from Michigan or being sent to Michigan. I couldn’t contain my excitement looking through the large pile knowing that I would to be the first to see them, read their messages and have the privilege to assemble them into a book.
The photo album cover says “Life Is Meant to be Shared” and the cards fit perfectly in it. Between the old, yet elegant, pictures ranging from portraits to ships to scenery, I became nostalgic for bygone times, and I have no doubt that our patrons will feel the same. The pictures are simply breathtaking! One that caught my immediate attention was of Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. What a sight! Every man was wearing a suit and the women were decked out in elegant dresses. The greenery stood tall and proud as if it were straight out of a Robert Frost poem.
I can’t wait to add this to the library and see the impact it has on the Raven’s customers. It will be kept on the shelf for over-sized books located on the upper level balcony. I would love to see our patrons scroll through these magical pages and find that the pictures tickle their insides as they did mine.
Plus, there are about twelve postcards of kittens, from the Port Huron area nonetheless. Honestly, who could resist that?!
~Kira J.
P.S. Postcards were donated to us by the Salvation Army located at 729 Howard St., Port Huron, Michigan.
Librarian’s View: Literacy and Beyond Bookmarks
There are many fulfilling moments that happen when you are a librarian and the partnership The Raven is doing with Literacy and Beyond has become my favorite…so far.Coloring for a Cause
ARE WE NOT LIKE TWO VOLUMES OF ONE BOOK? The Raven Cafe has partnered with Literacy and Beyond to help their vision.
Literacy and Beyond is an organization focused on improving the reading skills and educational outcomes of at-risk children and their families whilst addressing the non-academic barriers that hinder their success.
This organization gives away over 7,500 books EVERY YEAR to students in the Port Huron area who are working hard to improve their reading skill…s. (WOW! Talk about improving the community!)
Showing your support of Literacy and Beyond’s mission is as easy as 1, 2,3!
- Take a blank bookmark from one of the mugs throughout our cafe.
- Draw, color, doodle, or write inspirational messages. Whatever your creative mind can muster!
- When you are done simply put your finished art back into the mug.
The bookmarks are collected and distributed to local students by Literacy and Beyond.
This is truly a match made in heaven for us here at the Raven Cafe, and we look forward to the support and art that our patrons provide!
“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” –Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Progressive Accommodations for Dads
A new family-friendly addition to the Raven Cafe has finally arrived! If you have a little one presently (or one on the way) you’ll be as excited as me.
Here’s the plight of mothers these days: you’re out to dinner with your husband, and the wee one needs a diaper change. In this modern day many fathers are taking a hands-on approach when it comes to parenting, and if yours is one of the good ones (like mine) he’ll offer to change the baby while you sip your coffee. He walks off only to return with still-soiled baby because, like many public establishments, there is no changing station in the men’s room. It gets trickier and even more inconvenient in a scenario with two male parents.
In the interest of being progressive, the Raven has finally installed a baby changing station in our unisex restroom (the one on the ground level). Now mothers can take that much-needed moment and drink their tasty beverage while dad cleans up the doodie! We hope to lead by example and encourage other businesses to accommodate awesome fathers (we know at least Casey’s Pizza caters to daddy diaper duty). If you’d like to join the revolution, consider sending a letter to the Times Herald’s Talk Back. Wouldn’t it be great if all downtown Port Huron restaurants got on this bandwagon? It could be another awesome perk that sets us apart from the big box chain restaurants.
Drowning in Digital Poe
As the mother of a busy 3-year old I rarely get time to sit down with a good book. Even though we have an entire section devoted to Edgar Allan Poe at the Raven, I don’t have the leisure time to peruse it. These days I’m a big fan of audio books so I can multitask. I listen to them in the car, while getting ready in the morning, working, cleaning… you get the idea. Poe’s works are public domain, so a website called Open Culture whose mission it is to create a centralized source for high quality cultural and educational media has made his works available to anyone at no charge.
Being a visual learner, I also recently purchased the Poe app collection by iClassics, who specialize in combining classic literature with interactive art and cutting edge technologies. Thus far I’ve consumed the Tell-Tale Heart, The Oval Portrait, Hop Frog, Annabel Lee and, of course, The Raven. It’s creepy, interactive, illustrative and just plain engaging. I highly recommend it and, in addition to Poe’s works, they have Charles Dickens and H.P. Lovecraft (Sadaat approves the latter).Featured on Awesome Mitten Blog
The Raven Café was featured recently on Awesome Mitten’s blog that featured “4 Michigan Drives to Make the Most of Fall”. The Raven was mentioned as a necessary stop for hot beverages whilst travelling the Highway M-25: Lexington to Caseville route.
Nevermore Book Sale
The thought of throwing books away is blasphemous to literature-lovers such as we. Even when they are old, tattered and written about stuffy subjects, I can’t stand the thought of trashing them. Someone, somewhere might want them and love them.
Shameless Bribery to Get Your E-mail Address
WINTER IS COMING! Join our e-mail list and be entered to win this cozy Raven’s Brew hoodie. I send one missive a week and only feature news I personally would be interested in.
Drawing to be held December 13, 2015.
Halloween Enthusiasts Unite
I am a Halloween nut. I think the Raven is the perfect venue for Halloween fun, but I need help from fellow Halloween enthusiasts.
