A new rental event space is opening at a familiar Richmond Depot District locale. The two-storied storefront at 185 Fort Wayne Ave. reopens next month in a full-circle moment for owners Mike and Terri Widau, who purchased it as the first Roscoe’s Coffee Bar and Tap Room site 17 years ago.
The repurposed building is the Widaus’ third renovation venture. Following Roscoe’s move to its current location, 416 N. 10th St., in 2021, they opened Eight to the Bar the next year in the former Star Building, 931 E. Main St. This purchase was near and dear to Mike.
“My dad worked downtown, First National Bank, back in the day. We would go to The Big Cheese, and he was on the board of the Rose Festival. So I was always really close to the downtown,” he said.
Mike was heartbroken at the area’s decay. So when the building became available, he pursued it. He recalled it being a grand undertaking, joking that Terri didn’t see him for three years.
“I told him no more projects,” Terri joked, adding, “Mike likes to redo all different things.”
Mike admits he loves seeing the before-and-after transformation. But the motivation was different with Roscoe’s.
In 2009, the couple vacationed to the Bryce Canyon. After racing to see a beautiful view, they noticed another beauty they had ignored — connecting with other people. With coffee as the uniting bridge, the Widaus returned to connect the Richmond and Earlham communities.
“[We] just focused on the things that brought us together, instead of things that separate us. So that’s what started the whole thing,” he said.
Since its time as a coffee bar, Terri said it’s been a meeting space for their church, a previous rental space and offers two short-term rentals on the upper level.
“We really lived upstairs for a while,” Terri said. “When we moved out, it was the furniture that was too big to take to our little house.”
In May, they removed the space’s kitchen, the final remnants of the original Roscoe’s. Although bittersweet, the new space will host everything from baby and wedding showers to birthday parties and photography sessions. One event is lined up for Aug. 5 before bookings open on Aug. 16.
With all their work concentrated in the same area, the couple remains curious about the city’s development plans and where they fit in. Although the unknown can be daunting, they’ve learned to remain patient.
“When you’re setting up a business and you have to go through the state, doing processes step by step, you have to have patience because nothing happens fast,” Terri said.
Mike added, through their faith, they know they don’t own anything, making it easier to take risks. If the thing fails, they’ll move on to something else.
A free-to-the-public open house will be held Aug. 15 with food and other fun surprises.
A version of this article will appear in the July 29 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
