Coffee and conversation are set to flow for the first ever Coffee and Rhetoric tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Cutters Point in downtown Tacoma.

Episode one will be “Save the Retailer, Save the World” and will examine the Local Improvement District project set to begin soon.

On paper, the LID project seeks to improve the Theatre District, but in implementation it might create some havoc for retailers sitting in the middle of the construction.

One of the retailers whose business will be affected is Rebecca Dashow, owner of Dame Lola (711 St. Helens).

Dashow will be one side of the evening’s “rhetoric” and hopefully will get some long-awaited answers from the city of Tacoma via a public works representative, set to sip his java in the hot seat.

Don’t expect this to be just any old public forum, though. Josh Carter will bring his upstart attitude to the table, and Edison’s Invention will strum a few bars to keep the rhetoric from overpowering the coffee.

You can go to add your two cents about why the plan is great â€" or notâ€" or you can go to just hang out in a casual, cool, smart, caffeinated space with people who care about community building just as much as you do.

Add ideas for future shows or just get more information about Coffee and Rhetoric at their MySpace site. â€" Jessica Corey Butler

[Cutters Point, Thursday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m., no cover, 1936 Pacific Ave., downtown Tacoma, 253.272.7101]