Journeys downtown Midland location closing in June

Journeys Coffee House in downtown Midland is planning a final celebration on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Journeys Coffee House in downtown Midland is planning a final celebration on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Photo: Daily News Photo Photo: Daily News Photo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Journeys downtown Midland location closing in June 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

After five years of operations in downtown Midland, Journeys Coffee House on Main Street is closing its doors in June.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that we will be closing the downtown Midland location of Journeys Coffee House,” said Ed Doerner, senior pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church, the Midland church that owns Journeys Coffee House. “Journeys has become an important gathering place for the community and I am sure it will leave a significant gap downtown.”

The downtown Midland location of Journeys, 201 East Main St., will remain open to the public through Sunday, June 26. On June 26, Journeys will host a community-wide event at the downtown location to thank the community for the past five years.

Doerner said the closure is “the result of substantial rent increases and other stipulations from our landlord.”

The second location of Journeys Coffee House, located inside Messiah at 1550 S. Poseyville in Midland, will remain open to the community, Doerner said.

In 2011, Messiah opened the downtown Midland coffee house as a non-traditional church ministry to serve the community. With a tagline of “The gathering place ... where you can make a difference,” the purpose of Journeys Coffee House was not to profit, but rather to provide the community with a welcoming, safe environment to gather and to make a difference in people’s lives.

Throughout the past five years of operations, Journeys Coffee House focused on connecting with the community. The coffee house often participated in downtown Midland events and spearheaded new community-wide initiatives such as Filling Midland’s Cup, an initiative focused on filling the gaps in Midland through food distributions and other events, and Sneakerpalooza, an annual effort to provide and distribute thousands of new shoes to local students.

“We are grateful for the blessings that God has poured into the community through Journeys on Main Street,” Doerner said. “Though Messiah’s ownership of this coffee shop is ending, we do not want to see the coffee house ministry end. We hope someone else becomes inspired to own a coffee shop in downtown Midland at this location.”

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to own a coffee shop, contact Ed Doerner at (989) 244-8000 or edoerner@messiahbc.org.