If you’ve watched the TV series Succession, you know what it’s like to run a media empire. Yep, it’s been just like that. The title of the show is a spoiler – there has to be a successor. After 14 years, we’ve reached a point where we want to try new things. It’s time for new forces to blaze new trails. Stay tuned!
Text: Katrin Schauer and Ola Refsnes
Photo: Johanne Log
Fear not! Unlike Logan Roy, we’re not passing the baton to one of our unworthy children. We’re handing it over to someone we consider a friend, someone we’ve known since the journey began.
When we opened our café in Grünerløkka, we got a reality check. Running a small business is no small feat, especially in the café and restaurant industry. Lysløypa was conceived as a side project with the aim of drawing people to the small and independent spots in our city. Large chains like Starbucks, Fox News, and Waystar threatened diversity. We wanted you to support your local businesses.
The pandemic gave us an involuntary pause and a chance to renew ourselves. Lysløypa was also meant to address climate and environmental issues. Setting criteria for which places operate sustainably is challenging, but we aimed to highlight those that at least made an effort. From cafés growing their own herbs on rooftops to restaurants using only local ingredients and minimizing food waste. These places are not just good for the stomach, but also good for the soul and our planet.
Over the years, we’ve learned so much, met amazing people in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Fredrikstad. We’ve participated in Christmas markets, traversed the city from top to bottom, eaten and drunk our way through every street, alley, and lane. We’ve met passionate individuals in conservation, design, art, coffee, saunas, gastronomy, and gentrification. We’ve encountered those who started new ventures with great enthusiasm, and those whose dreams had to be abandoned.
We are proud of what we’ve achieved, but it was time for someone else to take over. We’re incredibly happy to have found a worthy successor who we’re confident will continue to create new trails, develop the book, and keep discovering new and old, familiar and unknown gems in our city. And who knows, maybe there will be a Lysløypa New York in a few years.
We must extend our thanks to everyone who has helped us over the years. Friends and family who have endured the hectic final weeks with us, the hundreds of participating locations that have been part of the journey, and not least, our fantastic illustrator Mariken Halle.
A huge thank you from us!
