"Communities come together in times of calamity and catastrophe, but what about in times of joy and creativity?" said Bos last Wednesday evening during a twilight presentation at Ross' home on West Lake Road. "People need to have a creative outlet."

The pair started working on their plans for Universal Hall six months ago. Bos and Ross recently held two dinner presentations to inform people of their intentions, serving some of the food that might appear on the ever-changing menu of the Universal Hall Cyber Cafe.

They hope to sell eighty shares of the for-profit company for $3,500 each before purchasing Toad Hall on Pioneer Street in Cooperstown. So far, Bos said, eleven have been sold.

"If you own a piece of it, you're more likely to patronize it and want it to succeed. People who have a vested financial interest in the success of a business are more involved. Collaboration adds a new dynamic to a business," Bos said.

"I've finally come to the realization that after talking about this for six years, I have to do this. I've gotten more and more excited," said Ross.

The plan is to create a multi-faceted center including a cyber cafe featuring unique foods and non-alcoholic beverages. A library and book shop will be adjacent to the cafe, offering a wide selection of magazines and books. Chess tables will be set up, and local artists will be supported by gallery space. Educational and creative films will be offered, and classes will be taught in Universal Hall's lower level.

The most exciting aspect of the project, Bos said, will be the Cooperstown Creative Learning Center, housed within Universal Hall, that will weave together fine art, music, culinary, costume and interior design. Each month a different theme will be chosen, and all aspects of that theme will be combined to create the experience of, say, the Italian Renaissance, to reflect what people experienced during that period.

Bos, a clothing and costume designer who moved to the area last year, said the purpose of offering shares is to create an atmosphere of participation in the community, which will allow Bos and Ross to gauge public interest prior to the purchase of Toad Hall on August 14. While they are hoping to sell eighty shares by that date, they plan to forge ahead if forty are sold.

Part of Bos' mission is to help people learn to market their work by understanding the business aspect of the creative process. Ross, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, has participated in the restoration of several historic structures and is looking forward to working on Toad Hall. Their enthusiasm for the project, apart and together, is apparent. They are in the process of seeking permission to operate a commercial kitchen, and they acknowledge the perennial parking problem.

"Parking has always been a problem and we'll probably all die and parking will still be a problem after that," Bos joked on Wednesday night.

The annual operating expenses include a salary for Bos, as CEO, for $50,000. Ross, as the cafe manager, would be making $19,000. Other projected expenses include start up costs such as handicap bathroom installation, $7,000, the cyber cafe, which would include roughly six computer stalls including internet access, $35,000, the purchase of the building for $251,000, a twelve month cash reserve for operating expenses, $50,000, exterior refinishing at $20,000 and interior refinishing for half that amount.

It's an ambitious project, but Ross and Bos say they can pull it off with flying colors with support from the community. The projected annual revenue includes $160,000 estimated from breakast and lunch sales annually, and nearly that amount from dinners. Special events, they say, may pull in up to $50,000. Library sales are estimated at $150,000 per year, with art gallery sales at $125,000. That number was based on 500 sales at an average of $250 each. Concerts, theme events and tuition for classes are estimated to pull in substantial funds as well.

Investors are secure, Bos said, because the real estate is tied in to the deal and should the building be sold at a later time, money would be returned to the shareholders.

The difference, Bos said, is that this organization will be operating for profit, and won't run into the same difficulties faced by not-for-profits.

"With not-for-profit, you'll never make a dime. You'll always be in trouble needing money. I'm adamantly for profit," Bos said. "This is just an idea, and hopefully we can embrace it. I'm 49. I'm a widow. I have nothing to do and lots of energy. This project is all about evolution and creativity. We're going to shake it up, keep changing it up, so that it's always interesting to people, always something new."

Still, Bos said, excitement is one thing and commitment is something else.

"I want to stay in Cooperstown for the rest of my life," said Ross. "And this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."