Meshuggah Shack's urban activation

What used to be a nondescript building housing a drive-up ATM in Mission Hills is now Meshuggah Shack, a lively little coffeehouse complete with a disco ball, bubble machine, bacon Band-Aids and other quirky bits of flair. Last November, Meshuggah Shack won an Orchid, an award from the San Diego Architectural Foundation, for “Community Intervention,” in recognition of the café’s success in activating a once-dead corner.

“Because of Meshuggah Shack’s charm, I think it’s a much more vibrant corner now, and it’s created more of a neighborhood feeling,” said Leslee Schaffer, executive director of the San Diego Architectural Foundation.

John Bertsch, the man behind Meshuggah (4048 Goldfinch St.), says his goal was a casual, public place where people could hang out and have fun. His penchant for smiling, singing and otherwise putting on a show has certainly helped.

“My desire was to try to build an urban experience and make it really accessible and fun for anyone who’s walking by,” Bertsch said, shortly after conceiving and then performing a little ditty about CityBeat. “It’s been about 15 months, and I love it. The community has really embraced it, and, to me, that’s what urban design is about—that mixture of public and private and making interesting streetscapes. My hope is to continue to do this in other locations around San Diego.”

Part of the challenge of developing underused street corners, though, is meeting city code requirements and paying for permit fees. Bertsch, who has a background in urban design and was a real-estate developer until the housing market crashed, is trying to raise money to get a red curb in front of Meshuggah Shack painted green.

“I need 15-minute parking, and the city says it’ll cost $275, which is a lot for me,” he said.

There’s a reused milk carton on the counter at Meshuggah Shack, and Bertsch is slowly raising the money.

“Look,” he said, raising the jug into the air, “I already raised 11 more dollars for the fund today.”