Room restoration will expand Events on Main

Steve Rimbey stands on top of a scaffold making sure one of the pillars is level in the refurbished room at Events on Main in Colfax. His wife, Kari, standing next to the scaffold, is handing him some tools. They plan to call the extra space the Fireside Room which will hold an additional 50 people besides the main coffee house. They also removed a false ceiling to reveal the original ceiling tiles.

The little coffee shop on the corner is adding a whole new room.

Events on Main at N. 203 Main Street in Colfax is refurbishing an adjoining room next to the main eating area to accommodate larger crowds.

Steve and Kari Rimbey, who live near Diamond, bought the building about four years ago. He is a project manager for Harrison Electric, and she runs the coffee shop.

“The original plan to start with was to have large groups in here,” said Kari. “That’s why it’s called ‘Events on Main.’”

They believe the building was built as a bank sometime before 1900.

The building has housed countless businesses besides a bank which went broke in the 1920s. It’s been a hardware and grocery store, a dry cleaners and youth center and served as a soda fountain and a bar upstairs.

It was the former site of Hickman Boot & Saddle Shop.

The Rimbeys removed the ceiling to reveal the original high ceiling with decorated tiles on it, giving an antique look to the room.

A thick concrete slab that once supported the bank’s vault is now in a breezeway. The slab was built thick enough to deter bandits from digging beneath the vault.

Steve said he and an apprentice have done most of the work on the room. Ackerman Heating and Cooling installed the fireplace.

“We’ll probably call it our Fireside Room,” Kari said.

The room will hold up to 50 people.

Kari said it’s been a group effort to get the new room ready for business. Family members pitch in to paint or assist in other chores.

“Our biggest investment is time,” Kari said.

Chandeliers will eventually be added to the high ceilings.

“We want to give it the look of the original design of the building,” Kari said.

They hope to attract more group functions.

“The more mature citizens want a big place for business or church functions,” she said. “They also like their coffee, both men and women.”

They hope to have the extra room ready by late spring, and they have already booked an event for July and are taking reservations.

Kari said they already rent the main area for activities such as baby and wedding showers and birthday parties.

The new room will be furnished with two long tables and more comfortable chairs by the fireplace. Smaller tables and chairs will be placed around the big room. They also will have wi-fi and a big screen for power point presentations.

Events on Main is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday.