New Thurston County YMCA proposed, and a coffee shop expands in downtown Olympia
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Owl’s Nest opened in about 900 square feet and now occupies 2,500 square feet.
- South Sound YMCA bought the property in March and aims to open a roughly 80,000‑sq‑ft site
- Bank of the Pacific and Banner Bank announced an all‑stock merger.
Four years ago business owner Shelby Haggard opened The Owl’s Nest, a coffee shop and more that filled a space in the Olympia Press Building at Capitol Way and State Avenue.
Since then, it’s been nothing but growth, she said this month. She opened the business in about 900 square feet and now the coffee shop has expanded to 2,500 square feet. Haggard has expanded the business twice since opening, she said.
It opened as a one-woman show and now she has 17 employees. How has she done it?
“My focus from the start has been elevated customer service, consistent quality and to be a reliable source for plant-based food and drinks,” she said.
In addition to pastries, coffee and other beverages, she also sells paninis and salads, as well as biscuits and gravy on the weekends. And more menu options are on the way. Coming this fall customers can expect grain bowls and desserts, such as fruit tarts and cheesecakes.
Everything is vegan with some gluten-free options, she said.
Where’s The Owl’s Nest? 116 Capitol Way N. It is open seven days a week: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends.
South Sound YMCA shares proposal for Lacey site
South Sound YMCA, which operates two locations in Olympia and one more in Shelton, now has plans to bring a new location to Lacey at 3300 Marvin Road Road NE, President and CEO Kyle Cronk recently told the Lacey City Council.
The organization acquired the property in March, Thurston County Assessor’s Office data show. The goal is to build about an 80,000-square-foot facility that would feature four indoor basketball courts, a swimming pool and other amenities similar to the Briggs YMCA on Yelm Highway.
Briggs has a swimming pool that currently provides swimming lessons to 1,300 children a month, Cronk said.
Cronk said Wednesday that he would love to see the new YMCA location open in 2028, but there’s still plenty to do, including the raising of an estimated $45 million to $50 million to construct it, as well as securing key partnerships.
Mason General Hospital in Shelton became a key partner for the Shelton YMCA, and Cronk said Wednesday that he would like to see something similar with either Providence or MultiCare for the Lacey YMCA.
“We’re excited about the 70 to 90 people that we’ve met with so far, but it will take a lot of people to make this happen,” Cronk told the Lacey council recently.
The organization is working with two feasibility studies, Cronk told the council.
One determines if the money can be raised for the project, the other is to determine, once it’s built, can it be sustained?
“We’re getting more of that data,” he told the council, but he added: “We’ve run some really conservative numbers to say that if we had the current Briggs (YMCA) membership, then this facility would be sustainable, and we think we would surpass that based on the current demographics that we’re seeing.”
Area banks announce plans to merge
The parent companies of Aberdeen-based Bank of the Pacific and Walla Walla-based Banner Bank will merge in an all-stock transaction, the two financial institutions recently announced.
The merger is expected to close in the third quarter of the year.
Following closing, the combined company is expected to have approximately $18 billion in assets. Bank of the Pacific operates a commercial banking center in downtown Olympia on Union Avenue.
People news
Olympia Federal Savings has promoted four bank officers.
- Sarah Caldwell, Chehalis branch manager, has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Caldwell joined OlyFed in July 2017 as a customer service representative at the Lacey branch and shortly thereafter she was promoted to Lead CSR.
- Casey Kilborn has been promoted to Senior Vice President & Chief Relationship Officer and was appointed as a member of the bank’s executive team. In this new role, Kilborn will continue to lead the bank’s commercial lending, business banking and mortgage loan officer teams.
- Nicole Montoya, Yelm Branch Manager, has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Montoya started her career at OlyFed in June 2016 as the lead customer service representative at the downtown Olympia branch and less than a year later she was promoted to Universal Banker in Lacey.
- Cory Swank, Hawks Prairie Branch Manager has been promoted to Assistant Vice President. Swank began his career with OlyFed in February 2025 as the Hawks Prairie Branch Manager.
In case you missed it
The owners of the French bistro Bar C’est L’eau at the Tumwater Craft District announced its closure on social media. The final day of service is Sunday, May 10.
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.
