Evita

When Elisabeth Toth established her business in Smalgangen, it seemed an odd spot for a coffee bar. That was, at least, what people told her. So why did she choose Grønland, and why Smalgangen?

To me Grønland has always been an interesting place. I used to work in the area, and knew that although very many people are in motion here, there were remarkably few places to go – apart from the old shabby cafés.

She points to what she calls an urban pressure in the area, which seems to represent Oslo at its most “urban”. The people here are city people following a city pattern and a flow that you do not find many other places. She also credits Grønland with the qualities possessed by its inhabitants:

It’s very varied. Not least, we have many immigrants living here. They are generally sociable people who enjoy conversation and coffee, and who don’t drink alcohol. I’ve given that quite a bit of thought.

Anyone desiring proof of these claims is advised to take a walk down Smalgangen to Evita Espresso bar. You will find a different kind of people here than in the west of the city. The varied appearances of guests sitting at the tables witness different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, as do the different languages one can hear spoken.

A year after Toth opened Evita, a new opportunity presented itself:

premises at Brugata 17. She immediately recognized it as a brilliant location for an espresso bar; many people work in the vicinity, and the street is always crowded. In addition, the sidewalk is wide enough to accommodate an outdoor seating area. Again, she did everything on her own, and began the project with low start capital. This outlet was profitable almost from day one, proving Elisabeth Toth right in her choice of location. Running two coffee bars was hard work, and she had no ambitions of further expansion.

However, one day something remarkable happened. A real estate developer, Pecunia, knocked on her door and invited her to be a part of a new project called “Grønlandskvartalene”, an apartments and commercial complex in east central Oslo. At Teaterplassen (“Theater Place”), which is located in the middle of these city blocks, it was planned to include on the first floor establishments selling food and drink and other facilities.

When she opened at Teaterplassen in late 2006, it was as one of the first businesses established there; the rest of Teaterplassen was first completed in 2007. At that time only a few of the around 750 apartments on the floors above had been built and sold.

With Evita Espresso bar as an integrated part of the project, they achieved an effective means of promoting the housing project: “Evita is the coffee bar at Grønland – full stop.” claimed the real estate office that handles the sale of the apartments (Pecunia 2008). Thus, Evita has become a brand that is directly tied to Grønland as a location. Without doubt, it has been important

in promotion of the new housing project in the heart of Grønland; and in the advertising material used for Teaterplassen, it has been given classic urban characteristics, if in slightly exaggerated terms. Teaterplassen is described as

“an urban oasis” and “the vital nerve of Grønland”;

Sculptures, fountains and slim, tall trees reach for the heat of the sun – welcoming all … a the coffee bar, a greengrocer’s, a 24-hour convenience store and restaurants serving sushi, tapas, Indian food and pizza, make Teaterplassen a vibrant addition to the diversity at Grønland.

The ethnic variety is in this way emphasized as an asset, and the coffee bar, restaurants and other facilities are use to assert this claim.

Elisabeth Toth started out as an eager entrepreneur with a project nobody believed in, in a part of the city bypassed by everyone. Ten years on, the area is an integrated and necessary part of a huge property development scheme involving both private and public funding. The new apartment blocks, Grønlandskvartalene, are characterized by a high population density and questionable housing quality, as there are small or no out-door spaces for the occupants of the high-rise buildings. However, through the marketing mentioned above, the apartment blocks are related to a vibrant urban space characterized by a wide assortment of restaurants and bars.

The Evita Espresso bar plays the role of “the authentic Grønland coffee bar”. However, the outlet at Teaterplassen was by no means an immediate success; Toth said there were few customers and low levels of activity in the neighborhood. However she said:

But it’s all about keeping at it. I had one year when business was really slow, before something suddenly happened. Today, things are running smoothly, and the large out-door seating area helps business along.

Toth is aware of her function in the neighborhood, and is especially eager to point out what Evita has contributed to Smalgangen: “Before I opened Evita, the area lacked a place to meet.” She can outline the movements of various customer-groups through a typical day, and knows how important it is for the shopkeepers in the area now that they have a place to meet:

They come in at 9 am – the shops open at 10 am – to sit and chat with each other before the working day begins, as this is virtually the only place where they can go.