By Lisa Heyamoto - lheyamoto@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, June 12, 2008
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

 Brian Fischer doesn't just think big. He thinks epic.
We're talking long-term, big-picture, good-of-humanity thinking, the kind of cogitation that might have earned him a spot on the Socratic ticket back when philosophy was a viable career path.

Since that's not an option these days, Fischer settled for the Internet.

The guy behind the community site Midtown Grid and the Oak Park advocacy group 100 Minds, Fischer, 36, has what you might call "vision." When he saw midtown was becoming a regional hub, he wanted to encourage greater fellowship. When he fell for Oak Park's rich history, he became a champion of its future.

But to Fischer, it's about more than just that. He believes true democracy is built on equal parts economic and social opportunity. By forming a community, for example, small business owners strengthen themselves while creating a place where others are more likely to follow, the shared prosperity improving everyone's quality of life.

It's a mouthful of a mantra the entrepreneurial Fischer has been developing since he was a child in L.A. He started his first business – a late night coffee shop – in college before grudgingly attending law school at UC Davis.

"I knew I didn't want to practice (law) from the moment I was there," he said.

In 1994, he took off to travel after his first year only to abscond again, this time back home to start a social networking site before MySpace was a gleam in the legendary Tom Anderson's eye.

His last year of school was marked by weekly trips home to run the business, the pressure eventually leading to a stress-induced stye that caused him to go blind for two months.

"Basically, I was killing myself."

He finished law school and folded the business, finding his next opportunity on the streets of midtown, the untapped community he'd been looking for all his life.

"It immediately struck me that this was a canvas waiting to be painted," he said.

The only problem was finding the perfect easel. A serendipitous introduction to a Web site that matched his philosophy led to a partnership with the couple behind it, which led to the Midtown Grid we know today: a public space comprising 250 small businesses and organizations that celebrates community.

His other focus, 100 Minds, is the nonprofit complement to Midtown Grid. Aimed at seeding social and economic change in Oak Park, the group has gained closure of two liquor stores, he said, and negotiated another away. Neighbors still wear T-shirts bearing what Fischer says is a quote from a police officer that reads "It's Oak Park, what do you expect?"

The back of the shirt carries Fischer's own addendum: "Nothing but the best."

"It's about what we can become," he said. "It's about reaching for it."

But, of course, someone with that outsized an entrepreneurial spirit has many more irons in the fire. He wants to open a coffee shop that offers micro-loans, a citizen travel fund, a farmers market in Oak Park.

Most of his ideas will probably never leave the flame, but they always burn blue.

Balance is still a struggle for Fischer, but becoming a father has taught him something about rose-smelling.

"I wake up jazzed every single day," he said. "The pursuit of happiness? I don't think that should be abstract."

And hey, if the whole thing comes crashing down tomorrow, he'll still have that lawyer gig to fall back on.