excuse me while i go throw up

In Somerville, Someday May Be a Memory

Regulars at the Coffee Shop in Davis Square Express Outrage

SOMERVILLE -- Call the Someday Cafe in Davis Square a coffee shop, and regulars stiffen.

It is not "just a coffee shop," they retort. The Someday is a "place of healing," where the dreadlocked server behind the counter asks, how are you, and "actually means it."

But come September, the shop's threadbare couches, local artwork , and strong macchiatos could be gone, replaced by a new eatery, Mr. Crepe.

Just days ago, residents learned that Someday's owner, Gus Rancatore, had failed to renew his lease -- he says he forgot -- and that the landlord was on the verge of signing Mr. Crepe, a purveyor of thin, European-style pancakes, soups, and salads.

Someday's pending demise has sparked an outcry in Davis Square, where the Someday, Diesel, and Starbucks up the street form a popular caffeinated triumvirate. Since learning of Someday's plight, some customers said they will not patronize Mr. Crepe. A couple even threatened to move out of Somerville.

On Wednesday, about 50 people packed a meeting of the Davis Square Task Force to vent.

Loyalists assailed the building's landlord, Richard Fraiman, for not reminding Rancatore to renew his lease, and pleaded with Mr. Crepe's owner, Peter Creyf, to go elsewhere.

``The only way you can get what you want is at the expense of hundreds of people," said Lisa Williams, 35, who met her husband, Evan, at Someday 11 years ago.

``It's wrong," Williams told Creyf, a 41-year-old Belgian immigrant, who looked back at her with wide eyes. ``It's morally wrong. Don't sign that lease."

Rancatore took responsibility for his oversight and asked for a compromise, offering to share the shop with Creyf.

``I hope we can work something out," he said.

Fraiman, however, said the matter is settled. ``Someday is out, and Mr. Crepe is in," he said.

A trio of college buddies opened the Someday Cafe about 13 years ago, hoping to capitalize on the coffeehouse trend that had swept Seattle. Jeff Hale, Glen Wallace, and Steve Stevens started the business in a cart in Central Square.

When the shop opened in the heart of the square, it was quickly embraced by coffee aficionados eager for quality java and by city officials anxious to turn around Davis Square, where small businesses had been struggling to bounce back from the economic lag of the 1970s and '80s.

Today, the coffee shop draws a diverse group of tattooed artists, students and professors, die-hard sports fans, and retirees, who mingle easily while sitting on the shop's armchairs and battered couches. Most customers know each other by name.