Cosí Cosí of 798 Closes With One Last Comedy Show Tomorrow Night

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Regular visitors of the 798 art district will likely know Cosí Cosí as the coffee shop with the enormous dinosaur sculpture. The tyrannosaurus figure was gifted to the café and bistro by an area artist who took a liking to the place and told co-owner Ivanna that it should have its own icon – something to make Cosí Cosí instantly recognizable.

Now, after the café quietly closed last month, Ivanna can look back at the gesture as a sign of succeeding in what she and her business partner Claire set out to do – to make friends and meet new people in the area. In fact, it was never about the money, Ivanna tells the Beijinger, because she already runs a successful PR firm. To her, Cosí Cosí was a passion project. As long as she could break even, it would be it for the fun of it. They hosted comedy shows, “dinosaur markets,” and other events.

In it for the fun, Ivanna and Claire turned Cosi Cosi into a chill hang out day and night

Plus, they seemed to be good at it – after expanding into food and drink, it rose to take the top spot in the neighborhood on Dazhong Dianping.

But when they first opened shop two years ago, they couldn’t have predicted the pandemic and the ensuing restrictions, which hit the 798 area even harder than most as visitors were restricted from entering for large chunks of time. The business began shedding cash, but it managed to make it through to summer 2021.

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The venue hosted a number of events and markets in its time

So, yes, the pandemic had its impact, but Ivanna says that’s not the main reason for closing. In fact, she says that if things stay stable, it would be possible to finally keep afloat comfortably – but, as you might expect, it’s absolutely exhausting running two completely separate businesses.“For everything, there’s a time to say goodbye,” she says. “And now, I just need some time to refuel and focus on my other business.”We asked if she has any plans to open another shop once she feels she’s gotten everything in order – she says, maybe after retirement. “I knew a guy,” she tells us, “who opened a shop when he was 80. I might like to do that too.

Cosí Cosí closed quietly last month without much of a goodbye, but now they’re having a goodbye comedy show tomorrow, Sep 10 at 8.30pm. Scan the code in the poster below for tickets.

"We've hosted a number of shows there before and now we're having one more blowout to say goodbye," says Comedy Club China organizer Donnie Fan.

Meanwhile, the owners are seeking to leave the space in the right hands. If you are looking to open up shop in the 798 area, contact Ivanna at WeChat ID: qiuwuhan.

Images courtesy of Cosí Cosí and Comedy Club ChinaImages courtesy of Cosí Cosí and Comedy Club China

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