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Mestizo Coffeehouse re-opens with a vision for an artistically vibrant west side.
Artist and activist Ruby Chacon just lost a day. Driving back from her son Orion's band concert in California on Tuesday, June 15, their car overturned on the freeway. It would take more than the few bruises she sustained in the crash to deter her from her dream, however.
There were a few detours along the way. Mestizo Coffeehouse was only open for a few months in 2002, a footnote to that year's "Cultural Olympics" but lacking the impact Chacon had intended. Its name is from the Spanish word for "mixed race"; Mestizo as "mixture" describes everything about the new location. It combines a coffee business with a nonprofit art gallery, nestled in a stylish new building housing mixed-income apartments and small businesses. But perhaps most importantly. Mestizo is meant to be a gathering place for the west-side community.
The first attempt was an inviting venue for Hispanic artists but didn't carry over to the...