Cafe has new owners, an alternative healing shop opens, an ice cream truck finds a spot
A cafe in Lacey has new owners, a new name and a new focus, said Kennon Maurer, who opened the business with his wife, Makenzie, last month.
Ebony and Ivory Coffee can be found where Royce Marie Bean Bar used to be. It’s next to Ricardo’s, the steakhouse at 676 Woodland Square Loop SE.
Kennon is a professional musician who also does speaking engagements and Makenzie has a background in coffee, he said. She has worked as a barista, manager and shift supervisor. The two decided to go into business together and went looking for a place to buy.
Using a business broker, they learned that Royce Marie Bean Bar was for sale. It had been operated by Rick and Marie Nelsen and Shelly and Dusty Pierpoint, the former Lacey police chief.
“They gave us an incredible deal,” said Kennon, so they took over on March 22 and encountered lines out the door.
Why the name Ebony and Ivory?
Kennon said the name reflects two things: He and his wife are an interracial couple. They first met in church, later dated at Tumwater High School, and then got married. It’s also the name of a song popularized by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The song suggests the importance of harmony and that’s what the couple wants to bring to their business in these racially tense times.
“It’s all about community,” Kennon said. “Everybody is welcome. It’s all love and no hate.”
Check out the Ebony and Ivory Coffee website to see a video of the couple introducing the business.
Other business happenings
ET Wendler, Jessica VanderGeest and a silent partner have opened Mystical LLC, doing business as Mystical, a Magickal Shoppe. It’s a business that sells retail items for alternative forms of healing. The business opened in March in Olympia at 2747 Pacific Avenue, Suite B-23.
The business has filled out 2,000 square feet for retail items such as crystals, herbs, sage, incense, jewelry, tarot cards, bells and singing bowls, which generate sound vibrations, said Wendler.
Separately, the two also offer the following services: Wendler is a practitioner of Reiki, a Japanese form of alternative medicine called energy healing, and VanderGeest does tarot readings.
For more about Mystical, find it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MysticalAMagickalShoppe/.
Now that the weather is finally warming up, perhaps you’re in the mood for ice cream? If so, an ice cream truck called Sweetlee’s Ice Cream has found a home in west Olympia, the business announced.
It opened March 25 at 2411 Harrison Ave NW, according to the website.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
