Help Morningside Cafe Rebuild

My name is Jeffrey D. Lewis II. I am the owner of the community-based coffee and entertainment establishment Morningside Cafe in Detroit, Michigan. On Tuesday, January 4th, 2022, we experienced the unimaginable. A fire that began from an adjacent building made its way to ours, causing significant fire, smoke, and water damage.

Any fire that occurs, whether residential or commercial, is nothing short of devastating. The damage to Morningside Cafe is significant as we were preparing for our highly anticipated grand opening on January 24th.

Our equipment (Espresso Machine, Coffee Brewer, etc.) is no longer usable due to the smoke and water damage. The customized 50-foot mural (see photos above) completed on Christmas Eve was ruined due to the extensive smoke.

The heat from the fire destroyed all of the electrical from the entrance of our building to the rear. Our drywall in the entire building will have to be completely torn out and replaced as the damage is beyond repair. In many aspects, we will be starting over from the very beginning.

Our HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system also suffered severe damage.

The fire has set us back tremendously; there's no other way to put it. We will not be able to get back the time dedicated to the buildout and the various hours of planning for our concept. However, we are fully committed to the rebuild of Morningside Cafe. The vision in launching our business was to bring our community the space they have deserved for so very long. That is a vision we will continue working towards until the day we open our doors again.

We are asking for the help of our community as we navigate through this difficult time. All donations made will go towards the complete rebuild of Morningside Cafe.

We thank you in advance.