All Over Albany

So long Shake Shake

Anybody want to buy a vegetarian cafe and smoothie shop? 

Shake Shake Mamas in downtown Troy is closing its doors.  The home of the Hans Solo smoothie and other healthful delights officially shuts down on Friday -- but Monday they're throwing a party for their customers. When we got the tip that they were shutting down, we called owner Royah Ansari to find out why.

Turns out it's not why you might think.  It also turns out she'd like to help you start a business in the Collar City.

First things first, the place is closing because the Mamas (Royah and her partner Nada) are pursuing Ph.D.s, not so much because of the economy. Yes, costs have gone up recently, but the shop has been on the market for about two years. There have been a few nibbles, but so far, there are no takers.

Shake Shake Mamas was never part of Royah and Nada's long term plan. Royah fell in love with Troy as a student at RPI. As part of her masters program in business, she wrote proposals and papers about opening some sort of lounge/cafe/bookstore in the Collar City. But when she graduated in 2005, the city's cup was running over with coffee shops (sorry). So "the mamas" found an empty niche -- a vegetarian cafe.

"But it had to have a social aspect to it," Royah says. "I wanted a place where I could do field research on networking and sharing information."

Wait, what?

It's a cafe. A place where people come and eat and hang out. How do we get from there to field research and networking?

Royah says running the shop was a lesson in the value of information. "There are so many great resources in Troy that people don't know about," she says. Shake, Shake became a place where people connected with jobs, internships, new projects and other people. It was also a lesson in networking.

I saw myself as a young person, a 22 year old, and I was doing better than a lot of people who were older or more experienced because of the way I was networking. Not typical networking things, but more grassroots and Internet based networking. Friends with blogs who mention you--even your friend network. Using your people resources. And i think with new communication technologies networking is so much easier. In school they taught us about networking, and a lot of it was schmoozing and going to things like the Chamber and the Elks club. I don't think there's anything wrong with the Chamber, I just chose other ways to network.

Royah wants to do her Ph.D. research on social capital and how communication technologies help build networks more efficiently. She's anxious to get going on her research, but she still loves Troy.

So here's where you come in.

If you love the Collar City, or have ever thought of starting a business there -- not just a cafe, but any kind of business -- Royah wants to talk to you. She says she'd love to see the shop live on, but, "It's not about selling this place. I'd just like to see something cool in Troy."

*You can reach Royah at Royah@goodship.net

(Thanks, rmcd496!)