Sage Cafe: What Happened and What’s Next?
Ada Lambert | February 9, 2023
Warren Wilson College (WWC) offers several options for food and drinks on campus— Owls Nest Cafe, Gladfelter and Cowpie Café. Many current students are unaware that before the pandemic, there was a fourth option located on the residential side of campus called Sage Cafe.
Sage Cafe is located underneath the Sage building, with an entrance at the back of the building. There you will see a charming sign surrounded by fairy lights.
Sage Cafe has been out of service for three years now, but some students still remember what it was like pre-pandemic. Rain Larson, WWC senior, spent a lot of time there during their first semester.
“I remember you could get a lot of great sandwiches there,” Larson said. “That's definitely one thing that I remember because they had a whole panini press, and I think they did melts too. They also served everything in actual mugs, which was really nice. It had a cozy atmosphere.”
Walker Russell, WWC senior, shares similar memories about Sage Cafe. He remembers it being a great place for students on the residential side of campus.
“I lived in Sage Circle,” Russell said. “We went down there a lot during orientation week. If you can imagine bar vibes for underage kids, then that’s what it was. There was a piano in the corner, there was board games everywhere, there were plenty of chairs and tables. They closed at one in the morning on the weekends so it was a hangout space.”
Sage Cafe was shut down soon after the pandemic hit. During this time, the college had to make decisions involving budget cuts — Sage Cafe was one of the first facilities to lose funding.
“A lot of crews ended when COVID hit, and a lot of us were sent home suddenly,” Larson said. “The whole college was in disarray. Sage Cafe happened to be one of them, both because they didn't have the staff to keep it running, and also because it is food and there were a lot of restrictions surrounding that.”
Russell remembers Sage Cafe as a place for performances as well. There were concerts and open mics along with other events.
“I personally remember having live concerts happening there and it was almost akin to a house show,” Russell said. “All these kids crammed into this little rectangle enjoying the band. But after COVID, they weren't allowed to have tight, enclosed spaces anymore. It's been a loss for the school environment, truly.”
After going multiple semesters without use, Sage Cafe has recently been put into charge of the Student Activities Crew. They began holding events in the space in spring 22’ such as movie nights, speakeasies, board game nights, et cetera. Jonathan Gonzales, director of student activities, is looking forward to incorporating Sage Cafe into more programming.
Sage Cafe has been under construction since the beginning of fall ‘22. During that time, there were issues with trespassing, which set student activities back a few steps while getting it up and running for new programs.
“I think it's going to be a community effort to clean and also maintain the space because throughout the fall semester we would find Sage Cafe unlocked or the door to the stairwell propped open,” Gonzalez said. “There has been vandalism there, too. There was paint on tables, some furniture was broken, some pieces are missing. So I think if everyone can get behind taking care of Sage Cafe, it's a space that we could see thrive again.”
In the past couple weeks, a couple crews have gone into Sage Cafe to help Student Activities Crew clean up the mess left behind.
“We had Spiritual Life Crew kind of collaborate with us to help clean it up,” Larson said. “They just finished recently and it looks really good. We're actually having our crew meeting there this week. So it's looking like we're gonna start to be able to do things in there.”
Despite these new ideas for utilizing the space, some students are still rooting for the complete reopening of Sage Cafe.
“It was a shame that they took it away because they could have made so much money from people going to get paninis and sandwiches — like going there instead of going to Cookout,” Russell said. “That used to be where people hung out and where things happened, a lot more open mics and more social engagements.”
Similar to the students, Gonzalez thinks Sage Cafe holds a lot of potential and could have a positive impact for the WWC community, especially students living on the residential side of campus, if it ever reopens.
“I'd be interested to see if there is a crew again, and if it does become a fully operational cafe because it sounds like it was like a great space for campus and it was an alternate location for folks on the other side of campus to get food, enjoy late-night hangouts, and go to programs,” Gonzalez said.
The lack of food options during later hours of the day has been a pressing issue amongst the WWC community, along with the absence of any food options on the residential side of campus. Sage Cafe provided an option for students who might not be able to make it to Gladfelter or Cowpie Café for some meals, while still making revenue off flex dollars.
“During this time, Gladfelter was open till eight,” Russell said. “Not only was Gladfelter open longer, but you also had a second option where you could get food late into the evening. Now Gladfelter closes earlier and there's no second option on campus. So it's a net decline.”
Even if Sage Cafe does not return to what it was previous to the pandemic, Larson believes that the space should not be overlooked, as it was once a staple in WWC culture.
“It's just got so much potential,” Larson said. “It's a really cozy atmosphere. It's so good for smaller events and social events. I don’t necessarily see it becoming a cafe again, because I don't know if the school has the resources for that, but I can definitely see it becoming more of a hangout space.”