SNOHOMISH, Wash. — A beloved restaurant in Snohomish, Jake’s Cafe on Second Street, has been forced to close indefinitely after an accidental fire caused extensive smoke damage to everything in the building.
The fire, which broke out on Nov. 4 around 8 p.m., occurred when the diner was closed. No one was inside. Quick-thinking people passing by noticed smoke and called 911, alerting authorities to the emergency.
"I got a text message with a screenshot from a Facebook post the Snohomish Fire Department put out. You could see Jake's in the background with the front door open and smoke coming out," Nicki Shaw, whose family has operated the cafe for more than 22 years, said. She's the manager. Her mother, Donna Larson, is the owner.
Initially, Shaw had hoped the closure would be temporary, estimating a few days or perhaps a couple of weeks for repairs. However, more than six weeks later, the café remains closed with no set timeline for reopening. The extensive smoke damage forced the family to strip down the interior, complicating their efforts to reopen.
“You still have the bills coming in from the month before we closed and every day that goes by, there's no cash coming in," Shaw said.
To alleviate the financial strain, Shaw turned to the community for help. She launched an online fundraiser not only to assist in the cafe’s reopening but also to support her employees who have been out of work just before the Christmas holiday.
“We’ve never done anything like this before,” Shaw said. “You hate to ask for help, but I know how much these people love our team.”
The funds raised will go toward both restoring the cafe and providing financial relief for workers. Shaw said most of the employees are the breadwinners for their families.
Before and after devastating fire: Jake's Cafe on Second Street
Shaw had a heartfelt message for those who choose to donate and the community at large: “We love you guys. We will open back up. I don’t have a date, but we will open back up.”