Popular Marysville church, meeting place closing

MARYSVILLE – The Living Room Coffee House is closing Saturday and its related Hillside Church will have its last services Aug. 18.

Kim Reynolds, wife of pastor Mike of the church, said Wednesday they want everyone to come celebrate the coffee house on its last day.

Of the coffee house, she said, “It’s the best ministry we ever had because it was only about hope and love. We introduced people to god.”

Reynolds said they will be selling off items in a liquidation sale Monday through Thursday next week from 2-5 p.m. each day. Whatever is left will then be sold during the Homegrown Festival on Third Street. After that, they will be donated to charity.

The church and coffee house are closing due to a rent increase they said they can’t afford.

Landlord Impact Christian Church in Lake Stevens pastor Mark Cercone said Tuesday that their three-year lease is up. They were trying to negotiate an extension of the lease. “We do not kick people to the curb,” he said. “We are not greedy.”

The rent was increasing but was still less than the going rate for the 6,000-square-foot building, he said. “It was an incredible lease amount – $1,000 a month the first year,” he said of the deal initially made with church. The rent went up each of the following years, but was still way below market value. In exchange, Reynolds said they made $20,000 in improvements.

Reynolds said of Impact, “We are grateful they chose us” three years ago because others were able to pay more.

Cercone said the lease was signed with Hillside, with the coffee house part of it. But some things that occurred at the coffee house were “outside church related,” which was part of the lease, he said.

“I’m sad how things turned out,” he said. “I did not want them to have to move,” Cercone said.

Cercone said the building was given to Impact as a gift to offer ministry to the community, which is still “our desire.”

Reynolds and church worship team leader Brandan Wilson said last week that they were stunned they have to leave so quickly. They thought they had until October.

Of course the 200 members of the church and fans of the coffee house and their 100 volunteers are disappointed. But so are the dozens of groups that meet there. They also hosted events like open mic, jazz jam night, board game night and home biz pop-up.

“And there were a bunch more groups that didn’t reserve space,” Reynolds said, such as writers and students of all ages.“We were here for the community,” she added.

Wilson and Reynolds are also connected to the Wander Bar and Coffee Shop on Third Street. While it has a similar cozy feel and could accommodate some of the groups, it’s about one-quarter the size of The Living Room, making it too small for church services.

Wilson said, “A lot is up in the air” on where the church might go next.

“We’ve had to fight an uphill battle to keep the Living Room happening” over the years, Reynolds said.

On a video on their website, she adds, “I can’t believe we made it this far actually.”

Wilson says when they started they wanted to impact that community in a way other churches weren’t, adding they were in the Human Connection Business.

“We let people know they matter,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s try this and see what happens,’ and then it exploded and you guys loved it.”

Groups

Marysville Business Connection

NU Camp

Quilters Guild

Mayor’s coffee klatch

Coffee with candidate

Chamber retreat

Women Inspiring Successful Entrepreneurs

Battlefield Addiction

Girl Scouts

Playgroups