Operating a coffee shop on a pay-what-you-want basis was so unusual that people started flocking to it. Encouraged, Cerreta decided to expand beyond sandwiches and started offering one dish cooked with fresh, local produce every day. At first, the news about the restaurant spread by word of mouth, and then in September 2003 the Associated Press wrote a news story that started, “Salt Lake City’s One World Café breaks two of the most fundamental rules of the restaurant business: It has no menu and no prices.” (via Her Restaurant Breaks All the Rules, and Thrives | Health, Beauty, Fashion, Love, Careers and more - MORE Magazine)

A corner of downtown New Orleans is coming to life again! Built in 1956, The Saratoga Building sits at the corner of Loyola and Tulane Avenues near City Hall, the library, the hospital, the Superdome, and the Central Business District. Wisznia Architecture Development has recently redesigned this former office building as an apartment building with retail space on the ground floor. As they look for commercial tenants, they’d love to hear your suggestions. What businesses do you want at the Saratoga? (via Making Things Happen at The Saratoga | The Neighborland Handbook)

With plans to launch on January 9, the Noble Cafe will be the newest café in a city that’s not hurting for them — in the downtown, Uptown and Lake Merritt areas alone, there are 28 businesses that identify themselves as coffee and tea shops, according to a search on Yelp. But what makes Noble Cafe different is its scope; it’s a cafe where patrons can do their part to offset carbon use. For example, patrons who come in with laptops can opt to pay a 50 cent electricity fee that goes to help offset the power used to run their computers. (via Carbon neutral cafe coming to Oakland – Oakland North : North Oakland News, Food, Art and Events)

"Shop owners seeking merchant services deal with many of the same questionable business practices endured by consumers seeking credit cards: Banks may charge a host of dubious fees, agents may exploit customer naiveté to up-sell accounts and customers may buy into a sales pitch that may be much different than what’s detailed in the fine print of their contracts."

Bay Area firms carve out socially responsible niche within financial industry – Oakland North : North Oakland News, Food, Art and Events

"Our tight little Bold Italic team just grew one bigger! We’re excited to announce that we’ve brought Mat Rick on board to help us with business development. That means even more partnerships between The Bold Italic and the folks we believe in most to come in 2012."

Meet Mat Rick, Our New Biz Dev Lead - The Bold Italic - San Francisco

"At CUP we believe that it starts with a question. How does zoning work? Who decides how political districts are drawn? What’s really happening when my neighborhood loses electricity? The city is a complex place. But learning to answer fundamental questions about the systems that shape our day-to-day lives is the first step towards meaningful democratic participation in shaping our neighborhoods. That’s why CUP partners with community groups to identify the most pressing issues they are facing, and to create accessible visual explanations of how they work. It’s the first step in helping New Yorkers from East Flatbush to Mott Haven get the answers they need. Each CUP project breaks down a piece of the puzzle. Together, CUP’s work leads to more informed, more empowered, and more engaged communities."

There’s still time to show your support for CUP!

Asked to predict what the first wave of crowdfunded businesses will be, Jackley says “I think social enterprises, I think retail. Anything that is a consumer brand that people love and can relate to and feel like they can be a apart of. When there’s a social benefit attached to it, that’s huge.” (via Crowdfunding, Why the SEC Bans It, Obama Wants It, and Banks Fear It - Business - GOOD)

Blueseed says U.S. immigration law is choking the flow of “bold and creative” entrepreneurs into Silicon Valley. So it’s building a floating IT fortress where entrepreneurs can be bold and creative right next to Silicon Valley without actually setting foot on U.S. soil. To get around the government’s immigration choke-hold, the much-discussed startup plans to sail foreign innovators 12 miles off the Northern California shore, into international waters. Once there, governed only by loosely enforced maritime treaties, these entrepreneurs can ply their trade without worrying about worker visas or various other immigration regulations. And they can live in San Francisco. Ferries will shuttle them back and forth. (via Startup Ducks Immigration Law With ‘Googleplex of the Sea’ | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com)

In 2006, Oakland’s Art Murmur began as a small collective of galleries hoping to draw visitors by working together. Over the last five years, the loose network of artists and community members has developed into a public benefit corporation that oversees one of the city’s most prominent cultural events - the First Friday Art Walk - which draws an estimated 80,000 people a year. (via Art Murmur contemplates future of 23rd Street | Oakland Local)

"On the nonprofit side of the economy, co-production — a philosophy and practice that incorporates cooperative principles — is being integrated into service provision. Co-production refers to the inclusion of service recipients in the design, decision-making and delivery of nonprofit services. Normally, there exists a chasm between a privileged class of professional service providers and their clients."

Shareable: An Economy Turned Upside Down