02/21/2026
I have tried to share with a few people that every inch of Shebrews shares a story in itself. The old Depot is a gorgeous little building, but EVERYTHING in it has importance and value in it. It is a reminder of how God loves me, He cares for me, and He has placed loving and caring people in my life. I saw some fun pictures on Facebook and I couldn't help but see full on stories. Here we go with just one. What do you see when you look at this picture? My best guess is you see a girl on a chair taking pictures.
I see the girl, standing on the chair. My eyes come forward and left and I see the carpet and the chair. The carpet was my first Facebook Market place purchase. I was super nervous and it ended up being a lovely experience! Those chairs were donated to me from a friend and her husband who had lost his mother. They were reupholstered using fabric I bought from my friend and the only way she would accept money for her beautiful fabric was knowing that a student in my classroom wanted to donate towards his teacher's coffee shop. Another friend from church took every chair top home and reupholstered them and put the chairs back together for me. The table I was able to purchase after having the shop open for a while and saving up the money. The little white coffee table I bought for $5 and painted it myself. After only being open for a short time, a lady accidentally broke it while participating in a Bible study. The settee, old loveseat for conversation, was purchased after searching for over a year. My mother-in-law and daughter went with me to Kalamazoo Kitty. This is a fun story that I will treasure forever and resulted in Anna SMASHED in the back of my Jeep with this fancy piece wrapped around her!
The pillow is the most recent Shebrews purchase from my mother-in-law for the valentine season. The mirror came from my in-laws' home and I painted it in the shop before we opened. The heart shaped garland made out of book pages was created by the same young lady in the photo. The burlap coffee bag came from my favorite coffee roaster, Rodney, from Sozo Coffee Roasting. The drapes and rods were purchased from my mother-in-law and a GROUP of us worked on cleaning those old windows inside and out before the big opening. One of those in the group that stands out was a more mature man from church that came multiple times to get up on a TALL ladder and screw the rods into place. It might not seem like a big deal, but those rods are UP THERE and he was no spring chicken!!!
The frame behind her legs came from the Bellevue Football team thanking me for donating cookies to their team meal. The books are donated from customers and in return are free to customers. The little stand was my second marketplace purchase. I happened to have my mother-in-law with me when I went to pick it up. As I pulled in I was drawn to this garbage container outside of the garage. I REALLY wanted it. I prayed if it was meant to be it would be. As I paid the lady for the stand, I asked if by chance the garbage can might be for sale. She cracked up laughing at me. She said her husband kept telling her she needed to sell it. Well, she sold it to me. She tossed out the trash that was in it and I took the time and effort to clean it and paint it. I think my mother-in-law thought I was crazy. That's ok, I am crazy. My daughter later painted "TRASH" on the door of it. It is also in the picture. I painted the little stand as well.
The small tree in on loan from my mother-in-law for the valentine season. It was from her mother who has passed. The planter was a macrame creation from my daughter and the plant in it was from my mother. In the process of owning Shebrews, my mom decided to become a snow bird. I think she was trying to kill me!!!! Anyways, she left me with her Michigan plants. They have thrived in that little depot! The little fireplace and mantle were gifts from a friend. She saw the mantle for free on the side of the road and knew I had been looking for one. She somehow managed to load them in the back of her vehicle and gave it to me. The high school kids tried to start painting it for me on a Pride Day in May. I ended up eventually finishing it and setting it up inside. It is not perfect, but I love it! That is how the whole shop is! It has taken a team effort, is not perfect, but I sure do love it.
The shutter is part of a decorative corner that my pastor assembled for me on one of the Shebrews work days before we opened. I saw a fun idea on Pinterest, and he made it come to life for me. He also made sure it was safe and sturdy. The picture above it is part of a memorabilia collection that Jake let me borrow to hang in the shop with some fun Bellevue History. The wreath was made by my daughter, who during this Shebrews adventure learned how to do and it is just one of her masterpieces.
We all grew and learned a great deal throughout this adventure of bringing a coffee shop to life in the old depot building in Bellevue. I love that old building and I will miss it being what it is. I am forever grateful to all that helped me bring it all together and sustain it all this time! I more so love the people and am excited to see what God does with them, with their talents and their souls! Every member of my family played a crucial part in making Shebrews come to life and helping sustain it for almost 4 years! My church family has also played a pivotal role and I have very supportive friends! I am so blessed!
The young lady in the middle falls into many of those categories! When I see her, like this, in this picture, I am moved! I see Elianna, the young lady that I met as a little girl roughly eight years ago at our church, the daughter of Troy and Janel. I see a young lady that grew up and became an employee of Shebrews, who has a love of coffee and books and the Lord her Savior. I see a young lady that graduated and went off to work at a Christian camp as a counselor and then came back to Shebrews as well as teaching piano at a nearby school. I see a young lady who found a passion for photography and was able to use this Shebrews space to grow and work on perfecting her craft.
When I say every inch of this shop shares a story, it truly does, and for ALL of it, I thank God! I sure will miss this amazing space as it was for these years, but I also look forward to what He will do with it and the people that have experienced it in some capacity. May God Bless!
