Cups Cafe plans grand reopening Tuesday after renovations completed

MEDINA — Much to the dismay of many in the community, Cups Cafe has been closed since March 8, and it had nothing to do with COVID-19. The cafe at 126 N. Court St. has been going through a major renovation. Its grand reopening will be 10 a.m. Tuesday. Cups Cafe founder and Executive Director Tim Van Arsdale said the nonprofit has been saving its money for years, thanks to donations from churches, organizations and individuals in the community. It's needed a good facelift after opening in November 2007. The eight-person board of directors approved spending $45,000 on renovations, which included installing new appliances, countertops and cabinets; knocking out a wall; completing plumbing and electrical upgrades; adding LED lighting; and generally giving the building a more spacious look. "We were waiting and waiting to have enough funds," Van Arsdale said. "We're opening full bore Tuesday." Since COVID-19 hit, volunteers have been serving people at the door instead of letting them in. Now, Van Arsdale said, people will be welcomed inside the building. "It's time to let people in," he said. Cups Cafe will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Van Arsdale said the cafe was originally built with the intention of helping teens who may not fit in elsewhere. "Our mission is for the youth," he said. "But there are so many people in need. We feed the homeless, food insecure and older, low-income people. After school, it's a place for kids." Before COVID-19, he said Cups was serving about 100 people a day. Those numbers have dropped to 50 a day during the pandemic. It's not just coffee and doughnuts, either. Cups serves warm meals, such as soup and a sandwich or spaghetti. That includes cookies, doughnuts and other pastries. "Everything is free, of course," Van Arsdale said. There will also be an open house at 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 10. He said a big shout out is needed for National Design Mart, which donated the new countertops. "It was very generous to make this happen," Van Arsdale said. He said he was blown away by Design Mart's slogan, "Give back: When action meets compassion, lives change." Van Arsdale said it mimics Cups Cafe's motto. Also, Landmark Homes provided the contractor for the renovation. He said people were given plenty of notice when Cups Cafe closed. "They are ready for us to open," Van Arsdale said. "We're looking forward to get back going." There are food pantries, agencies and places like Feeding Medina County for the food insecure to go, but there's nothing like Cups Cafe, said Ron Pierce, a member of the board. "This is a special ministry," he said. Cups Cafe's first shipment of food will be coming in from Sandridge Foods on Friday and Buehler's Fresh Foods on Monday. "We're getting back in the swing of things," Van Arsdale said. Contact reporter Bob Finnan at rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.