EVERETT — Under the Red Umbrella, a neighborhood gathering place in north Everett, closed for the last time Wednesday amid tears and hugs.
Leslie Heger, who owned the cafe and coffee shop with her husband Dave, greeted a steady stream of well-wishers, customers and bargain hunters.
They shut down the business at 1520 Rucker Ave. a couple of weeks ago, but were selling tables, chairs and other furnishings as well as the occasional coffee.
“I’m sorry, I’m a little emotional,” said Leslie Heger, wiping her eyes while sitting in the cafe.
She and her husband couldn’t reach a long-term lease with the owner of the building at the corner of 15th Street and Rucker. The street next to the cafe was torn up as the city rebuilds the sewer line in the neighborhood. Lelie Heger said that had nothing to do with the decision to close.
Under the Red Umbrella opened in 2006, taking the name from the distinctive umbrellas at the tables outside the business. Leslie Heger came to work for Under the Red Umbrella a little more than five years ago.
The Hegers purchased the business shortly after. In addition to the cafe and coffee, they did catering in the community. And they hosted music on Fridays. The business employed five people.
Jim and Karen Staniford, who own Vintage Cafe in downtown Everett, stopped by the cafe on Wednesday afternoon to wish Leslie Heger luck.
Jim Staniford said he wished that the Hegers and the building owner could have resolved the lease issue.
“It’s bad for the neighborhood,” Jim Staniford said. “It’s bad for everyone to have an empty building.”
Leslie Heger said she plans to take some time off to “camp, bike and breathe a little.” And then she’ll look for a new place in another neighbhorhood that’s unique like the setting that Under the Red Umbrella occupied.
“I’m going to go away for a little bit,” Leslie Heger said. “Then I’m going to look elsewhere.”
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