Mission has always been what 210 has been about. Just with a cup of joe. But the leadership at First Presbyterian Church in Visalia, which owns 210 W. Center Ave., has decided that its experiment in combining faith, fellowship and a hot cup of java, had become too expensive to continue.
Something had to give. It was the coffee.
210, the venue and cafe at 210 W. Center Ave. owned by First Presbyterian Church, will serve drinks and food for the last time on Wednesday, Nov. 27. After a short holiday break, 210 will reopen on Dec. 3 with its usual meeting spaces but without its kitchen and cafe.
First Pres Pastor Dan Birchfield said the decision to end the cafe business at 210 was “heart-wrenching.”
“Nobody wanted to do this,” Birchfield said. “Essentially, the church needed to put its faith mission ahead of its business mission.”
The mission at 210 will continue, to be sure, Birchfield stressed. First Pres has no plans to close 210, which will continue as a venue downtown for any number of events.
“210 the space is still open to serve the community,” Birchfield said.
To emphasize that, and thank the community for its support, 210 will hold an open house and celebration from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Nov. 23, There will be refreshments and recognition of past employees and performances by the “Cuppa Jazz” band.
Elders of the First Pres congregation decided last month to close the cafe as a cost-saving measure. 210 had been losing money for years – Birchfield said as much as $60,000 a year – almost all of it from the cafe, which served several kinds of coffee blends, hot chocolate, pastry and breakfast sandwiches and employed six people.
First Presbyterian Church intends to continue to operate 210 as always, but without the coffee counter and kitchen. 210 is home to several weekly worship events. Several self-help and support groups meet there regularly. First Pres rents space for other events and organizations in the Assembly Hall, which also functions as a fully equipped performance space, with professional lighting, sound and video.
Among the regular popular events at 210 is “Cuppa Jazz,” which will continue on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. with music by local performers.
Mostly, though, 210 has been an oasis in downtown where people can stop by, pray and meditate, or congregate with friends. Birchfield said that will continue.
In the meantime, 210 will hold a celebration on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Included will be appreciation to customers and to former employees, and a celebration of 210 itself, which opened on April 15, 2008.
Almost 20 years ago, 210 was repurposed by First Pres, when it bought the property at the corner of Center Avenue and Locust Street in downtown. It was a natural fit, because the building and its adjoining parking lot, were adjacent to the church, at Oak and Locust, and its neighboring pre-school, The Children’s Ark Learning Center.
The building, one of the oldest in downtown, was built in the early 1900s and first served as a farm machinery store — an annex to Montgomery Ward across Center Avenue. It was then an auto showroom until about the middle of the century, and then reinvented itself as a toy store.
The building at 210 Center wasn’t done yet. Its last turn as a commercial enterprise was as a restaurant/bar. In the early 2000s, its owner ran into difficulties. A number of crime incidents, including a murder in the parking lot, gave the place a bad reputation.
Ironically, members of the First Pres congregation would hold prayer meetings at the restaurant and offer their spiritual support. That wasn’t enough, though, and the owner declared bankruptcy while the building sat vacant.
The First Pres congregation saw an opportunity. The church bought the old restaurant and gutted the place. The renovation restored the original brick structure and reinforced it. First Presbyterian congregation members inscribed their favorite verses from the Bible on the joists and beams behind the restored paneling. The new building had a small kitchen and cafe, a seating area, prayer room, conference room and large Assembly room.
The Assembly room has been the venue for concerts, plays, readings and public forums.
Among those forums is Tulare County Voices @ 210, a monthly forum which examines issues of local interest. Along with other gatherings, that forum will continue at 210.
Another very popular gathering has proved to be “Cuppa Jazz,” a musical event every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cuppa Jazz is a successor to a weekly event “Morning Cup ‘o’ Jazz,” which used to perform at Visalia Coffee Co. at Church and Main. Richard Garoojian put together that original combo. When the Visalia Coffee Co. owner wanted to move in another direction, Garoojian literally pushed his piano down the street to 210. He has been bringing music there ever since on Saturday mornings.
Garoojian would like to change the program name to “Cup of Fun,” because it is so much more than jazz – pop and ballads, show tunes and classical – his group plays everything. Garoojian figures there are about 10 or 12 musicians who play regularly with him on Saturday, including vocalists. He takes everybody, sometimes recruiting a guitar player out of the audience.
“Everyone has talent in some way,” Garoojian said. “My job is to figure out what it is.”
As many as 60 people attend the music sessions weekly, where they will hear a couple hours of all kinds of music, and sometimes dance. And it’s all free.
“You’re part of a family, at Cuppa Jazz,” Garoojian said.
Birchfield hopes that spirit will continue at 210, whether in faith services, forums or performances. The First Pres congregation is committed to providing Visalia with the opportunity to gather for reflection, learning or celebration. For now, local souls will have to find their coffee elsewhere.
Birchfield said he was first attracted to First Presbyterian Visalia because of the mission that 210 provided, and that’s still the case.
“210 the space is still a gift for this community.”
Paul Hurley is retired opinion page editor of the Visalia Times-Delta. He can be reached at [email protected].