crunchyrain:

Starbucks is shutting down Kismet, a local Turkish cafe under the claim they serve espresso

Spoilers: they don’t. It’s Turkish coffee.

In the center of Alderwood Mall in Washington, there’s two kiosks.

One is a creation built from the ground up (Literally. They had to install the plumbing and electric themselves.) by a married couple from Turkey. They had a restaurant before immigrating here, and chose to set up shop in a region with a huge middle eastern population. Achma, simit, baklava, Nutella Bomb (Bomb of Izmir remix), börek, and whatever baked goods they’re giving a whip up are worked on as they chat with you. Turkish coffee is brewed and served in beautiful little cups, Italian sodas prepped, and with a baked good of choice enjoyed at the wrap around counter. The place has become a tiny cultural island of familiarity, where friends and families gather to chat, eat and drink.

The other is a duplicate stamp fast food kiosk by a bloated multi-billion dollar corporation that’s already shut down one of its three (3) locations within the mall, leaving yet another unoccupied dead space.

For years, it’s ignored Kismet’s presence while it made the usual hard climb from startup. But it’s gotten popular. And they don’t like it.

And so they walk up to Brookfield Properties who own the mall, and whip out the contract of no one else on the property serving espresso (yes. they have that. insidious isn’t it?) demanding that the Turkish coffee shop close. Here’s the screamer though: They. Don’t. Serve. Espresso. But Brookfield won’t squirm under the thumb of the megacorp unless it’s made loud and clear what a big mistake that is.

They’ve put up a petition to try and rally enough support and noise to get this bullshit on the news.

If you would like to help, even signing the petition will carry this forward. Reblog and share it too, and let’s see if we can’t give Starbucks a well-earned kick in the groin.

the campaign is over !!! i walked away with two (and a half) vampires though !!

Kismet’s Medical Expenses, organized by Brittany Bowers

Kismet is my 18 year old heart horse. Last month, her health began to take a turn. We began treating what we thought was an abscess in her hoof but with no improvement. We have had a farrier out multiple times to try to alleviate the pain and adjust the angle of her hoof. Unfortunately, this past week she seems to have taken a turn for the worse. She is wobbly in her legs, stiff, does not want to move, and attempting to keep weight off her foot.

I have had the nearest equine veterinarian out multiple times now to try to assess the situation and help her. We can not seem to pinpoint what IS the issue.

I am attempting this because I need help paying for her medical bills. The first vet visit was $130 and they returned a week later to take x-rays, which was a $420 visit. They visited again (4/30/2021) to check on the new symptoms of her wobbly legs and still at a standstill on a diagnosis. We are going to try doing blood work and a chiropractor. She is scheduled to be seen by a different vet that specializes in equine (5/5/2021) for their possible prognosis. I need the funds as quickly as I can get them so I do not get too far behind in her medical bills. I am currently unpaid for the $420 bill and have not received the others in the mail.

I rescued Kismet at a equine auction in 2015 and we quickly became attached. Kismet is my heart horse and she means so much to me. I would really appreciate any help that I can get. I have many more rescues that I care for daily at my own expense, and this came upon us so suddenly. I am terrified to lose her and seeing her in pain breaks my heart. I will add photos of vet bills as proof.

Thank you so much if you choose to help and donate – I will be sure to pay the kindness forward in the future.