Ballardites Carrie and Heather Wallace have launched a Go Fund Me campaign in the hopes of opening their own business, Grind Me – Ballard Coffee, in our neighborhood.
Both Carrie and Heather are very familiar with the local coffee scene and are keen to put their passion and experience behind their own store.
A little over two years ago, the Wallaces opened Bauhaus Ballard along with the long time owner of the business. After a year of managing the Ballard location, Carrie became the General Manager of all three Bauhaus stores in Seattle.
According to Carrie, the couple worked 14-18 hour days, 5-7 days a week. “We poured our hearts and souls into something we realized wasn’t ours and possibly wouldn’t succeed due to someone else’s financial challenges,” she says.
In April 2015, the Wallaces made the decision to end their time working with Bauhaus before the business suddenly and permanently closed its doors in December. Since leaving Bauhaus, “the last eight months have been a very sad, inspiring and eye opening time,” says Carrie.
“Not only have we missed everything we helped make at the Ballard cafe but most of all our amazing employees and customers. The feeling we had while working to provide our customers with the best cup of love they could get and the friendships we made were irreplaceable,” she says.
Since leaving Bauhaus, the couple have dreamed of opening their own coffee shop and are now faced with the opportunity to be in the running to rent the old Bauhaus location (located on the corner of 20th Ave NW and NW Market St). (They also have their hands on another Ballard location if the former Bauhaus property falls through.)
However, in order to secure a location for Grind Me – Ballard Coffee as soon as possible, they are looking for community support.
“We have a little help from family to get started and have applied for loans that will take months but will still need to raise additional funds to get the ball rolling now. We are here to ask our friends, family and community for support,” says Carrie.
The couple will use the Go Fund Me donations to purchase everything needed for the opening including remodel costs, licenses, an espresso machine, vendor deposits, café furniture and more. Together Carrie and Heather have built a business plan, a three year financial plan and gathered over 20 letters of recommendation in their efforts to open Grind Me.
If their Go Fund Me campaign is successful, Carrie and Heather also plan to rehire a few of the old Bauhaus employees who lost their jobs so close to Christmas and, if they successfully secure the former Bauhaus location, also plan to keep the historic Twice Sold Tales bookstore located inside the business.
“Help us to produce the amazing family environment and coffee that deserves to be a part of the everyday lives we live; one cup at a time,” says Carrie.
Click here to learn more about Grind Me – Ballard Coffee and donate to the Go Fund Me campaign.
Photo courtesy of Carrie Wallace. From left Carrie Wallace, Katie Gower and Heather Wallace.
