Less Content More Connection

We were blissfully disconnected from social media prior to opening Phin. After years immersed in this technology that was supposed to bring people together, we left when the truth of its pernicious nature came to light. However, the prevailing practice was and continues to be that social media is essential to modern business, nowhere more so than in the food & beverage industry. We heard a marketing expert call social media a “non-negotiable” (surely no bias there).

We begrudgingly plugged back in. But if there’s one golden rule in business it’s that EVERYTHING is negotiable. A clause was added to this agreement: our business must not depend on social media and we would step away when the opportunity arrives.

To achieve this, we posted sparingly and aimed for connection rather than commerce, for sharing rather than selling. Resources (time, energy, money) that would have gone to social media were instead invested in our operations, physical space, and customer & community relationships, all of which resulted in modest but steady business growth.

Despite our minimal engagement, the tension with being on the platform itself still intensified over time. Using an instrument that spurs the senses toward competition and urgency for the purpose of sharing & consuming content about intentional living is an agitating paradox for us. The proliferation of AI-generated content is further eroding the authentic connections we hope to cultivate. Finally, recent actions by the platform’s ownership have decisively confirmed that it’s time for change.

In our experience, a lack of options simply means an abundance of room for creativity and innovation. We want to try more direct and genuine ways to connect with you: email and in person. We know, we know, it’s scary to try new things.

First, we’re starting a newsletter / blog where we’ll (occasionally) share stories and updates from the cafe. Second, we’ll offer more opportunities for in person interactions like events and workshops, which will be announced through our newsletter!

We’re keeping this account for now but only to answer DMs. Thank you for all your support over the years and we hope to get to know you more. Offline, of course.