Community at La Vita Bella Cafe

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

On December 8, 2018, La Vita Bella Cafe, 471 Main Street, opened in the storefront next door from their previous location.

Wanting to have a cafe open to a street view, Todd Eichorn, steward of the Experience building, decided to move the coffee shop to street level. He feels that it makes people feel better to be able to wander in and explore the cafe versus having to commit to going to the downstairs establishment.

Formally, La Vita Bella was primarily a coffee shop. Now it features a full menu, a bar and a community/mixed-use space called The Renaissance Room. La Vita Bella is working to fine-tune their menu but they are keeping customers of all ages in mind while they tailor their menu.

The Renaissance Room is one of Eichorn's favorite parts of the new store. Community is very important to him and he feels that Longmont is lacking in affordable communal space. "How do you expect people to gather if you make it that costly? You are just going to meet at a house, you aren't going to meet in the vibrant downtown sector. We want to be like the aorta, pumping the people to the downtown area."

Promoting community goes beyond the event space at La Vita Bella. The cafe and bar area does not have TVs. Eichorn believes that by eliminating this staple in most restaurants, it allows people to connect with one another.

Many of the tables are spaced to encourage people to chat with neighboring tables, it also has areas allow people to relax alone with a good book.

Eichorn has spent the last 30 years dreaming of a place that combined community and the arts. He calls it his "fantasy band." Inspired by people coming together at campgrounds and sharing their passion for the arts and getting just to be a part of that experience. This is why he created an entire building that he named The Experience.

The Experience building includes La Vita Bella Cafe, on the ground floor, and The Experience co-working space, on the second floor.

Similarly to the campground experience, Eichorn believes that a community should have a voice and places to share that voice. Throughout the Experience building, Eichorn offers space to local artists to express themselves through art. Throughout the year, auctions are held and all the proceeds return to the artists.

"This is a place to connect," says Eichorn, "a place of positive energy."

For Eichorn, that positive energy comes through balance, which is why The Experience building offers classes. In an effort to help people slow down and to learn a work/life balance they offer yoga, belly dancing and Tai Chi.

"This is for me, this is for my spirit to grow through this. To overcome fears. What I have learned from this is just to show the gratitude for what I have and not to ask. It is really really simple. Instead of asking for things, identifying that as long as I have my basics, I am the wealthiest I need to be."

For Eichorn, wealth isn't everything. He feels that it is important to give back to a community as well. In the future, he hopes to begin offering social programs such as Community in Need, which offers breakfast for those suffering from homelessness.

Eichorn's motto, "When we give, we receive, we create abundance together," extends beyond himself, The Experience and La Vita Bella. He hopes it extends to the broader community of Longmont.