Tiffany Bulgin, co-founder of Isaac’s Room, at the Rockin’ the Box celebration outside Ike Box on Aug. 4, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
A fresh coat of paint isn’t the only new addition to the Ike Box coffee shop.
The building at the corner of Court Street Northeast and Chemeketa Street Northeast, originally constructed as a funeral home, now has a modern HVAC system rather than decades old oil heating.
The additions were possible after Isaac’s Room, the nonprofit which owns and operates the coffee shop, closed a deal in the summer of 2020 to buy the building they had leased for years from the YMCA.
YMCA leaders originally told the coffee shop it had to relocate as part of the gym’s expansion to make room for a veteran housing project. But the YMCA later struck a deal to build that housing across the street on land leased from Salem First Presbyterian Church, allowing Ike Box to stay put.
On Wednesday, Mark and Tiffany Bulgin, co-founders of Isaac’s Room, joined dozens of supporters at a block party celebrating the deal.
People drink and listen to music at the Rockin the Box block party outside a freshly-painted Ike Box on Aug. 4, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Tiffany Bulgin said they raised $500,000 from community donations to cover a down payment on a mortgage for the new building and were able to set aside funds for some renovations as part of the purchase.
With the building’s future secure, Bulgin said they’ll continue to lease and gift space to like-minded nonprofits and community organizations who work with youth. She hopes to resume live music and art events that Ike Box hosted regularly before the pandemic.
“We’ll continue to offer this place as a place of hospitality and community,” Bulgin said. “We are in a good place.”
Rich Swanger & The Little Known Band perform at Rockin’ the Box on Aug. 4, 2021 (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
-Rachel Alexander
