Without warning, it was announced that Urban ReThink would close the doors of its Thornton Park address on Oct. 1. That has left its founding director, Darren McDaniel, scrambling to find a new space.
“I don’t know what the future has in store for us, but I believe we have created something very valuable to the community and I’m going to do whatever I can to see that that continues,” McDaniel said.
It began as Urban Think! Bookstore a decade ago and, after closing for a year, reinvented itself as the creative hub Urban ReThink in 2011, a collaboration between the Urban Think! Foundation and downtown developer Craig Ustler, who donated the space rent-free.
Desks were rented to artists and writers on a monthly basis to work and it played host to events, avant garde films and notable speakers like activist Gloria Steinem and TV and radio personality Mo Rocca.
McDaniel said upkeep of the 2,000 square foot space, located at 625 E Central Blvd., exceeded the revenue, so the executive board decided unexpectedly the space was no longer affordable. It is not known whether a new space can be found before the deadline for the move.
“I’m really sad it happened that way because we didn’t have the chance to ask the community to help us and we found ourselves with an emergency on our hands,” McDaniel said. “We weren’t able to put out a call for help, but that’s reality and we have to move forward.”
A community conversation about the future of Urban ReThink was held on August 28 to allow creative minds involved with the project and other interested parties to come together and brainstorm.
“Urban Rethink was designed and built on a model of community spirit and listening, not just to our members, but to our community in general,” McDaniel said. “Because that didn’t happen prior to this, I want to honor the voices of the people who have been involved and contributed and see what they would like to see moving forward.”
