Sipping coffee, making connections and officing at Buli Cafe

Realtor Brandy Whitmire appreciates the subtle distractions of a WiFi cafe. She compares Buli to The Planet coffeeshop featured on “The L Word.” (DANIEL A. KUSNER/Dallas Voice)

Wireless caf?s can become much more than a temporary cubicle. When you regularly fire up the laptop office at gay java-huts, you can become inculcated into a proud WiFi tribe just by virtue of being there.

At Buli Cafe in Oak Lawn, Rick Vanderslice is an everyday fixture. Since he lives only a few blocks away, Vanderslice considers Buli his "living room."

With its fur-covered banquettes and eclectic art, Buli easily lends itself to a communal-living vibe.

At Buli, Vanderslice flips open his G4 notebook to write, read, socialize and network. Vanderslice is the former host of KERA's now defunct "Evening Talk Show," and Buli has become an inspiration for his newest endeavor a weekly podcast. Later this month, Vanderslice plans on launching "The Buli Salon," where he'll moderate a panel discussion with a variety of guests and many Buli regulars or "the coffee klatch," as Buli co-owner Scott Whittall calls them.

Whittall keeps track of the laptop flow: Some get their morning perk, arriving by 7 a.m. and leaving by 9 a.m. At 10 a.m., tables start filling up with desktop notebooks. In the evening, the students arrive.

Brandy Whitmire visits Buli about three times a week.

"I was here for the grand opening, and I've been coming ever since," she explains.

Whitmire's in real estate and has both a home and corporate office. But, "It's too easy to get side tracked at both of those places. Not here," she says.

That might seem like a contradiction. It is a coffee shop after all, complete with music and plenty of eye candy. But, Whitmire explains, "The mind has such a broad capacity for thought. You need some level of distraction. You have that here. Of course, being able to get a good cup of coffee doesn't hurt either."

She compares Buli to The Planet, the coffee shop on Showtime's "The L Word."

"I walked in today and four of my friends were here already. And they hadn't even come together," she explains.

Whitmire sees the Buli pull as no mystery. "Food's great here. Dessert's great here. Coffee's great here. Service is great here," she says. But at Buli, she gets the job done. "There are people around me working and they're focused on their work. And I think, "'Oh, shoot, they're getting work done. I should, too.' At Buli, people respect your space."

People from a variety of fields share Whitmire's feelings. Daniel Orozco's a physical therapist. He comes to Buli on Fridays to finish his weekly notes. He generally keeps to himself, but likes the hum of the place. "There are less distractions [than at home]. No TV. No computer."

Rocco Sulfridge lives in Michigan, teaching rhetorical criticism at the university there. He's also been a regular at Buli for about a year ever since his partner moved to Dallas. They alternate visits between here and Michigan every two weeks. Sulfridge spends hours at Buli grading papers because, he says simply, "It's comfortable."

Jeff Scott's been coming to Buli twice a week for three years. He checks in around 7 a.m. and leaves by 11 a.m. Scott is a collectibles retailer on eBay.

COFFEE TALKER: On-air personality Rick Vanderslice hopes to launch a podcast at Buli later this month. (DANIEL A. KUSNER/Dallas Voice)

So, between the great chai latte and the free Wifi, Buli is ideal for Scott. "I get too distracted at home. Here I come with a purpose. I get in the game and do my work."

Doing business at Buli was never Steven Cralle's intention. But when his album came out, Buli turned out to be the perfect venue for his release party and Bulizens turned out to be the perfect customers. Mixing business and pleasure doesn't get much better than that.

Moving here two years ago, I searched "gay coffee shop" looking for a place to office. I had no idea I would also gain a community. Plenty of people office in coffee shops, of course. But rare is the place where such kinship is formed in the process. Cards are passed. Stories are shared. Connections are made. And suddenly, working alone isn't quite so lonely.


OFFICE MEMO

Hopping online: At Starbucks you have to pay to use the WiFi by purchasing usage through T Mobile account. At Buli, the WiFi is free for customers. On your receipt, there's a code that allows you to log on. Your computer will prompt you to input your receipt total and your code.

Power up: If you need juice for your machine, there are several outlets beneath the shop's long banquette. If you can't reach one, just ask someone who can to plug you in. People are always happy to outlet share.

Sound: Most people wear headphones if they want to listen to something on their machine. Not doing so is frowned upon. "

Communal workspace: If you want company, sit in the front window beside the counter. Rick Vanderslice calls this area "the library nook." There are shelves of books there on a "take 'em if you want 'em; Leave 'em if you've got 'em" policy. In the nook, people sit together at the large table and share the nearby outlets.

Work vibe: There's sort of a code among regulars. Head down, eyes focused, fingers flying means do not disturb. Browsing the paper, taking in the sights, smiling at passersby means say hello and we'll see how it goes from there.

Etiquette: Buli operates on the Golden Rule and most people who office there like to keep that rule nice and shiny.



This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 11, 2008