1319 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90404 310 394 1537
now close no longer same owner
Dale Mary Grenfell
Usually when waiting for auto maintenance, I find myself sitting restlessly on
a hard torn-vinyl covered chair with an "ify" back in a grungy corner of the customer service office.
If I'm lucky, there might be a 4-year supply of peanuts or fading Redhots in a wobbly dispenser.
If I'm really lucky, the slot was jammed 2 years prior. Should the wait drag on,
I might desperately consider the criteria for freshness assigned to coffee
in an oil-smeared carafe sitting on a stack of 10-year old Motor Trend magazines.
My luck serendipitously improved a few months back when I took my car to
Morris Automotive on corner of 14th and Colorado. Great staff! Great service !
No hard seats and no oily carafe!! Instead, right next door there was the Tulip Cafe'......
and the special world of Mary Martinez. Meeting this engaging woman,
it's easy to wonder if she might not have been a favorite next door neighbor at some point in time,
or a classmate in school. One thing you know for sure, you will never forget her.
Born in Fresno following her parents' immigration from Tijuana,
Mary began working at the age of 16 when she dropped out of high school.
She took assembly line jobs and worked as the receptionist for
a period of time in an auto repair shop owned by her brothers.
During a layoff in 2003, Mary wondered if anyone would consider
hiring a 51 year old woman with limited job skills.
But Mary's expertise is people and she is anything but limited.
Although she knew nothing about food services,
she stepped boldly into ownership and management of
the Tulip Cafe' on Colorado and began doing what she has always done best.......
making the world a better place for others!
There was no redecorating, no menu changes, no flashy "new ownership" signs.
The small green and white striped awning over the front window has weathered many seasons.
There are no precisely appointed table linens. No hard-to-pronounce entrees.
No trendy coffees. "People come in here because they're hungry,"
says Mary. "And the truth is, they come in to connect with another human being."
Mary's humanity seems boundless and it's no wonder people are drawn to it.
Every customer is greeted with her warm smile and wry wit.
She will remember each customer's name and, incredibly, the varied intimacies they share about their lives.
She remembers......because she cares. Her daughter, Aljandra, credits her mother with
the "gift of gab" that Mary probably got from her grandfather. "He talked with everyone he met!"
Glancing around the small establishment; aging white curtains billow in the breeze.
Lighting and furniture are dark yet the room seems aglow.
An "A" rating is proudly displayed on one of the front window panes
and just to the left of the entrance is a small corner table where rests
a vase filled with fresh red carnations. After a customer remarked
one day that red carnations brought good luck,
Mary now sees to it that there is good luck available daily to everyone.
A glass tumbler full of water is inconspicuously positioned just behind the vase
and Mary's mouth breaks into a broad and playful grin as she takes the tumbler
and pours the contents into the gutter outside. "Every Tuesday,
I throw the water that has trapped any "negative spirits" and fill it up again. "
It made me smile and wonder just how stupid a negative spirit
would have to be to even consider entering this place of such good will.
Midway atop a storage cabinet there is a television set that remains on all day.
One morning, four men of varying ages were seated on the worn yellow counter stools.
Mary engages people quickly and she has an uncanny knack for getting people
to engage with one another. In animated fashion, the men began trading
"favorite episodes" of I Love Lucy as they watched one of the priceless reruns
over their serving of eggs, coffee and sweet rolls.
"Good morning" rose to a whole new level of meaning.
On a rainy afternoon, while enjoying a cup of coffee with Mary,
a young boy with a load of books and sporting a green cast
on his arm strolled into the cafe'. Confidently seating himself at the counter,
he ordered a hamburger and soda. Needing catsup for his hefty after-school snack,
the young man retrieved it himself from around the counter corner.
Brandon is 12 and attends St. Anne's School just a few blocks away.
He regularly walks to the Tulip Cafe' to await the arrival of his father who picks him up after work.
This beautiful world of Mary Martinez just got lovelier each time I stopped by.
I asked Brandon how he felt coming there each afternoon. "Neat" was his reply."
It always feels good to be with Mary. She's funny and she trusts me to
get a drink on my own if I need one. " As Brandon downed his soda,
his attention was quickly distracted to the episode of Challenge Showdown
he'd been watching. The Tulip Cafe' TV is what one might call the quintessential
"community television." Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, Regis and Kelly,
local news, perhaps a classic movie.
This isn't a cafe'. It's a community. Mary is the catalyst and her embrace extends beyond a
"community television" and a safe place after school.
I asked Brandon how he felt coming there each afternoon. "Neat" was his reply."
It always feels good to be with Mary. She's funny and she trusts me to
get a drink on my own if I need one. " As Brandon downed his soda,
his attention was quickly distracted to the episode of Challenge Showdown
he'd been watching. The Tulip Cafe' TV is what one might call the quintessential
"community television." Sesame Street, Mister Rogers, Regis and Kelly,
local news, perhaps a classic movie.
This isn't a cafe'. It's a community. Mary is the catalyst and her embrace extends beyond a
"community television" and a safe place after school.
I've seen Mary provide an extra serving of compassion (and nourishment)
to folks who are unable to pay her for her kindness.
They are greeted with the same warmth any customer receives......
along with a fresh cup of coffee, a sweet roll or sandwich.
Not long ago, just such a patron arrived covered with bruises sustained
during an assault the night before in the dark and lonely alley next to the cafe'
where she sleeps. After Mary provided assistance, she learned that a man
who spends most of his own dark and lonely nights in the alley just across the street
had come to her rescue. Mary immediately sought him out
with a huge bowl of her homemade albondiga soup.
The phone rang one morning when I was sitting at my usual "fourth table spot."
Within listening distance, the empathy in Mary's voice was clear as she asked.....
"Have you taken your medication today?" I caught Mary's eye, now downcast,
when she hung up and she took a deep breath. "One of my customers who struggles
with mental illness. She's so alone and unhappy. I worry about her."
It was no surprise to learn later that Mary is known to take food to
the woman's apartment. "I sometimes suspect that she's not eating
and it's a chance to check and see if she's taking her medication."
I found myself needing to ask....."Are you making out okay, Mary?
Do you ever have a concern that people take advantage of you?"
Her characteristic smile returned. "Goodness....as long as I have enough to pay
Zepi and Cirilo (employees), take care of my bills and keep getting an "A" rating,
I'm okay. I've never had much. I don't expect to have much.
And I certainly don't plan on taking anything with me.
Every day is going to get better, and I'm happy seeing to others."
I am not the only auto maintenance waiter-outer who relies on Mary's hospitality.
I happened to be there this past April Fool's Day and Mary had published a flyer
she distributed to all of the auto repair shops next door.
Her sense of humor seems to raise the sun each morning.
FLYER SPOTS
I don't recall putting a tune up or brake replacement into the category
of mood elevators. That's changed. However, I don't need car repair
as a reason to stop by and participate in Mary's community.
I can do that whenever I like. I've even begun to bus my own table- and I'm proud of it!!
That's what people do in communities, right? They take time for one another.
They care. They let us know that we matter.
They remind us that life is short and that
all we really take with us are memories and our contributions.
"You don't think bussing your own table entitles you to a discount, do you?" laughs Mary.
I only wish there was truly enough to repay you.
What you provide is more than a meal, Mary, and the world hungers for it.
Even if there were only 4-year old peanuts and faded Redhots to be had here,
this would still be my seat of choice any day!!
They are greeted with the same warmth any customer receives......
along with a fresh cup of coffee, a sweet roll or sandwich.
Not long ago, just such a patron arrived covered with bruises sustained
during an assault the night before in the dark and lonely alley next to the cafe'
where she sleeps. After Mary provided assistance, she learned that a man
who spends most of his own dark and lonely nights in the alley just across the street
had come to her rescue. Mary immediately sought him out
with a huge bowl of her homemade albondiga soup.
The phone rang one morning when I was sitting at my usual "fourth table spot."
Within listening distance, the empathy in Mary's voice was clear as she asked.....
"Have you taken your medication today?" I caught Mary's eye, now downcast,
when she hung up and she took a deep breath. "One of my customers who struggles
with mental illness. She's so alone and unhappy. I worry about her."
It was no surprise to learn later that Mary is known to take food to
the woman's apartment. "I sometimes suspect that she's not eating
and it's a chance to check and see if she's taking her medication."
I found myself needing to ask....."Are you making out okay, Mary?
Do you ever have a concern that people take advantage of you?"
Her characteristic smile returned. "Goodness....as long as I have enough to pay
Zepi and Cirilo (employees), take care of my bills and keep getting an "A" rating,
I'm okay. I've never had much. I don't expect to have much.
And I certainly don't plan on taking anything with me.
Every day is going to get better, and I'm happy seeing to others."
I am not the only auto maintenance waiter-outer who relies on Mary's hospitality.
I happened to be there this past April Fool's Day and Mary had published a flyer
she distributed to all of the auto repair shops next door.
Her sense of humor seems to raise the sun each morning.
FLYER SPOTS
I don't recall putting a tune up or brake replacement into the category
of mood elevators. That's changed. However, I don't need car repair
as a reason to stop by and participate in Mary's community.
I can do that whenever I like. I've even begun to bus my own table- and I'm proud of it!!
That's what people do in communities, right? They take time for one another.
They care. They let us know that we matter.
They remind us that life is short and that
all we really take with us are memories and our contributions.
"You don't think bussing your own table entitles you to a discount, do you?" laughs Mary.
I only wish there was truly enough to repay you.
What you provide is more than a meal, Mary, and the world hungers for it.
Even if there were only 4-year old peanuts and faded Redhots to be had here,
this would still be my seat of choice any day!!
