Consider this a tribute, a goodbye to Marcell’s Hemp and Latte House. I spent a significant amount of time in their house-turned coffee shop as it became my unofficial office. It was through Marcell’s that I met a whole cloud of men and women with amazing stories, who had an amazing impact on my life, and who live in and represent my downtown neighborhood. It filled a gap in my neighborhood where there is no other place of gathering. People came to this shop to be with their neighborhood.

The coffee was mediocre, the management was poor at times (sorry), it randomly opened and closed due to red tape (among other things!)…but it was a place where you could meet and talk to those whom you belonged to.

Sadly Marcell’s is gone due to a fire last week. I do not yet know, though I am fairly certain that it is gone forever. I grieve for the neighborhood because there’s no hub for us to gather at. I grieve for the relationships that I have lost because we no longer have a place to be together. I grieve my loss of an “office”. And I grieve for those who lost jobs.

Someone come and pour some money into that place and build us another gathering place. If you make it into a knitting shop I will fight you. If you make it into a minute mart I will fight you. If it ends up a house I will fight you. Give us a place to gather please.

peace.