You’ve heard of drink responsibly.
Well, how about drink philanthropically?
That’s right. Have a beer and support a good cause. A cause other than your own thirst.
Scott and Loni Wetzel want to open a nonprofit pub in Snohomish to raise money for charities.
They have a name, Center Public House, and a business plan. They have a 1,500-square-foot space in a brick building on Avenue D near the main downtown drag.
Right now, it’s just an empty room, filled with lots of promise and ambition. A kitchen in the back. A mural on the wall. Tables that spill out to the sidewalk patio in nice weather.
All that’s missing is money.
“We don’t want to start building until we know we have enough to complete the build-out,” Scott said.
He estimates about $200,000 is needed to open.
The project got more than a blessing from their church, Clearview Foursquare Church in Snohomish.
“They took up an offering to give specifically to us,” Scott said. “Most of our donations have been from individuals donating or buying Founder’s Club memberships at this point. It’s been really grass roots, actually.”
Club donors have lifetime membership options, from $500 to $2,500.
“You can get a beer a day or a week or a month, depending on what you give,” Scott said. “It’s sort of like an investors’ club, but instead of money they are getting beer.”
Don’t have $500 to commit to beer?
No problem.
For a donation of $30, you can get a “Drink philanthropically” T-shirt.
Scott, 37, will keep his day job as a graphic designer for distilleries and breweries with his company Fresh Bread Design. Loni, 33, plans to quit her hospital job to run the pub. That will be a paid position.
The Arlington couple have two young kids. They met after he came here from South Dakota to play music in 2001 and was in a band with Loni’s brother.
“My brother told me to stay away from him,” she said.
The pub guidelines are modeled after an Oregon nonprofit pub and might be the first in Western Washington. “We have to have a board of directors and give away our profits,” Scott said.
The pub is a registered nonprofit with the state of Washington, he said. Donations will go to help charities — patrons can choose which charity to support — but are not tax deductible.
“People are naturally skeptical. They say, ‘This doesn’t make sense, why are you opening a restaurant to not make money?’”
Good question.
“We believe that a community that does things together can do a lot more,” Scott said. “Throw in beer and good food as you’ve got this community. They’re going to do it anyway, go out to eat and have a beer after work. What if you can do that and change the world in some way? It’s not for people who get drunk on Budweiser.
“We want that sense of community. We’ve sort of lost that in the digital age. We want to bring that back.”
The charities will be chosen closer to the opening.
“Definitely a local animal rescue,” Scott said. “We’ll definitely be starting a fund for local underemployed or underinsured restaurant workers, too.”
They originally considered opening a place in Seattle. It was too expensive and too far. Their pastor suggested Snohomish. A friend said, “I have a spot for you,” and gave them a great deal on rent.
The pub will be family friendly. It will serve food and craft sodas. Craft beers will include those “that don’t get a lot of love as well as heavy hitters from Ballard,” Scott said.
The opening date depends on donations: “We are hoping by October of this year,” Loni said. “If not, we will wait until early spring.”
Want to volunteer?
“We’ve got to have licensed, bonded and insured contractors for some parts,” Scott said, “but there will be some paint slinging and nail hammering that will need to be done.”
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
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