Silbia Han

Jeff Santer and Rachel Adler enjoy plates of sushi at Qüb’s new location in Danawell trailer.

BY ADAM BORTNER

In print | September 25, 2008

Qüb, one of Swarthmore’s two student-run cafés, has moved from its former location in the Kitao Gallery to Danawell Trailer, located between Dana and Hallowell dorms. The café held a Free Sushi Night last Friday as its first culinary event in the new space.

Qüb, pronounced exactly like the word “cube,” serves sushi and bubble tea along with other East Asian delicacies. In contrast, the Kitao Gallery, dedicated to retired art history professor T. Kaori Kitao, is billed as a public space for student art. The student-run gallery, which hosts up to seven exhibitions each semester, was renovated in 2000. The gallery was not originally intended to be a café.

According to Qüb staff and board members, relocating to Danawell trailer will alleviate the scheduling conflicts that affected the café when it had to share space with the Kitao Gallery. “We just had very different space needs, like we needed a pristine white space and they needed somewhere to make rice,” Lauren Stokes ’09, a member of the Kitao Gallery Board, said. The Qüb leadership also felt that there was a need for two different spaces to accommodate the different needs of the café and gallery. “Kitao was really not suited for a food serving establishment,” Qüb Manager Michael Ticehurst ’11 said.

According to Kitao Gallery Board Secretary Kate Goertzen ’09, scheduling conflicts have posed a problem in the past. “Kitao and Qüb are both very busy and often needed to host events on the same nights,” Goertzen said. Stokes agreed that sharing space was problematic for both parties. “It was never intended for Qüb and Kitao to share the same space forever. It was seriously inconvenient for both of us; we had to schedule events around each other,” Stokes said.

Students expressed a range of reactions to Qüb’s move. One student, Clarissa Skinner ’12, said that the café’s new location will make it much more accessible to students. “Danawell trailer is more convenient to several dorms whereas the Kitao Gallery was not really convenient to any particular dorm,” Skinner said. She attended Qüb’s Free Sushi Night last Friday and enjoyed the ambiance. “There were big, comfy pillows all over the floor among scattered tables and people sitting in circles eating sushi and drinking bubble tea,” Skinner said. Marie Rousseau ’12 also attended the café’s Free Sushi Night last Friday. “I liked Qüb because the food was good and I met new people from other dorms. Overall, it was a very satisfying experience,” Rousseau said.

However, not all students viewed the change positively. Chloe Noonan ’10, a dedicated Qüb customer, said, “I am kind of disappointed about the location change. The Kitao Gallery was part of the charm of Qüb. I loved absorbing the art every week.” When asked what she thought of the new location, Noonan said, “Danawell Trailer lacks zazz. Life will become a desolate, cultureless ruin without Kitao weekly.”

Another student, Joan Kim ’10, was also turned off by the location change. “The Kitao Gallery is a cultured and classy space, whereas I don’t have any of the same memories associated with Danawell Trailer,” Kim said.

Despite mixed student reactions, both Qüb and the Kitao Gallery plan to take advantage of the locale changes by taking their respective spaces in new directions.

“We now have our own space with a lot of options for development,” Ticehurst said. Such development includes additions to the permanent menu, the first of which is Thai Spring Rolls. Also, Qüb is now offering the option to reserve a private room and a meal for groups of people at the café. “Qüb provides a space to get away from partying and enjoy a quiet cup of tea and sticky buns with friends,” Ticehurst said. The café will now be open weekly on Thursday and Friday evenings from 9:00 p.m. until 12:30 a.m.

The Kitao Gallery, with four new board members, is optimistic about the gallery’s future as an independent space. “Without having to worry about scheduling around Qüb, we are up for everything,” Stokes said, adding that the gallery is currently accepting proposals for student exhibitions of any nature.

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