10A | WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2019 | SIUSLAW NEWS
SEED from page 1A
in corporate offices for the past 30
years, with the last 10 years spent at
Levi Strauss in Eugene. At a work
conference in Florida, it became
clear to Deb that her time at Levi’s
was over. “It was hard because I
loved my job, but it was a change
time.”
Inspired by a friend in Florida
who ran a cause-based store fo-
cused on human trafficking and
subsequent charities, “I felt like
there was something I could do out
here,” said Deb who, along with her
husband Kurt, moved to Florence
shortly thereafter.
“This thing kept tugging at me
that I had to do something to give
back,” Deb said.
With that in mind, she noticed
a lack of somewhere for people in
the Florence community to gather
together and just be in community.
It was through that realization that
her vision for The Mustard Seed
began.
“I love crafting, and it’s also a
non-threatening way to meet new
people and find a common bond,”
she said. “So, we started putting to-
gether the vision of this place.”
While travelling in upstate New
York, Deb and her husband en-
countered the final sign that they
were on the right path.
“We saw this organic food store,
so we went in. It was called The
Mustard Seed,” Deb explained.
“The scripture for the mustard seed
in the bible is Mathew 17:20 and
it talks about having a faith that
moves mountains and your faith
can be smaller than a mustard seed
— I was like, ‘Okay, this is starting
to really come together.’”
The Vander Bogarts wanted
the space to be a place that “paid
it forward,” which to Deb meant
following a business model where
she was able to pay off her initial
investment in the building and on-
going costs for craft supplies, and
then donate the rest of her profits
to charities.
The couple started looking for
properties two years ago, and
found 509 Kingwood St., which
most recently was Class Act The-
atre and, before that, a Christian
Science reading room.
“It all came together really well. I
think when you’re on the right path
with God, he does that for you,”
Deb said. The couple began reno-
vating the building last November.
“It was really a labor of love.”
The Vander Bogarts did a lot of
work and, along with Dan Lofy
Construction, completed the job
and opened the doors to The Mus-
tard Seed on June 1.
“It’s a place to enjoy life and be
in community with other people.
Sometimes we miss that in the run
around of the day,” Deb said.
The Mustard Seed is in essence a
crafting space. It also offers a wide
variety of classes such as weekly
How to Crochet, Christmas in July
— where Christmas cards, orna-
ments and holiday baking classes
will be taught — and even a Mak-
ing Kimchi class on July 16.
“We’re trying to get a variety of
things, but we are also trying to
let the community help us decide
what to do. We want people to have
this place to go to,” Deb said.
The Mustard Seed is open daily
by 10 a.m. except Sunday, when
it opens at noon. There is a dai-
ly membership rate of $10 for
those who want to simply drop
in, and there is always coffee, tea
or something cold to drink, along
with snacks out. While communi-
ty members can drop in and use
all the crafting materials, there are
also games, cards and puzzles.
“There’s a lot of good space and
people can really just be together in
community,” Deb said.
Each class has its own price sep-
arate from the daily drop in rate,
and a calendar of all upcoming
classes and events with prices can
be found online at www.themus-
tardseed1720.com.
“We wanted a place where peo-
ple really felt comfortable and re-
ally felt at home — that they could
really relax here,” Deb said.
Ultimately, The Mustard Seed is,
at its core, a place to give back.
“Our plan is really to pay the bills
for the building and then give the
rest away to a variety of places,”
said Deb, who also works with a
charity called Shared Hope out of
Vancouver, Wash., which is work-
ing to end human trafficking. Deb
explained that a lot of human traf-
ficking is concentrated along the
I-5 north and south corridors, but
that the crime is moving towards
Highway 101 as I-5 becomes more
VICTORIA SANCHEZ/SIUSLAW NEWS
The Mustard Seed, a crafting and community space at 509 Kingwood St. in Florence, is now open
for people to come together to create art and build relationships.
regulated. The Mustard Seed plans will be waived for nonprofits hop- be self-sufficient, for some of them,
to donate any profits to organiza- ing to use the space, but Deb asks for the first time. All of our com-
tions like Shared Hope.
that they make a donation of any panies will have a pay-it-forward
In addition, Deb plans to host amount to the hope jars.
purpose,” Deb said.
seminars at The Mustard Seed
“For a nonprofit, it’s hard to find
The Mustard Seed doesn’t make
aimed at informing people on the a place to meet that doesn’t cost you any profit from these separate re-
issue of human trafficking, as well something, so we want to be able to tailers, but instead serves as a space
as clean water initiatives and other help our local nonprofits with plac- for them to sell their product.
charitable efforts. She’ll also offer es to meet and go,” Deb said.
Deb said she supports their
resources for how people can get
The Mustard Seed also serves as philanthropy while allowing The
involved and make a difference.
a retail space for other pay-it-for- Mustard Seed to have another
“It fosters this sense of doing ward companies, and has three re- way to contribute, give back and
good that The Mustard Seed itself tailers currently selling within the support small businesses that are
is fostered on,” she said.
space. Abel is a leather handbag and trying to do something bigger and
The Mustard Seed wants to serve accessory company based in Ten- better.
as a space of learning and coming nessee that employs women who
In addition, The Mustard Seed
together as a community to pro- are transitioning out of shelters isn’t a place specifically for chil-
mote change and positive actions or domestic abuse situations and dren, but rather for families — so
teaches them how to make jewelry they have an opportunity to bond
in and out of the area.
“We’re definitely not trying to to sell. Abel also provides jobs for with each other while learning
take any political stance,” Deb said. women in Ethiopia who handmake something new.
“But we certainly want to make all of Abel’s leather bags. Sandcloud
“That’s all this is. It’s a place for
people aware of how this can be a sells cotton beach blankets to help people to come together and feel
better place, how we can be more fund ocean preservation. It also do- better, learn something new, do
engaged in the place we live right nates to the Surfrider Foundation, something they love and just enjoy
here.”
which has a local chapter in Flor- life because life is short. We should
Inside The Mustard Seed, there ence. The Giving Keys sells jewelry take advantage of it while we’re
are two “hope jars” in the kitchen to provide jobs for those transi- here,” Deb said. “The whole thing
and crafting area where visitors tioning from homelessness.
came from my faith and what God
can donate directly to the facility’s
All three retailers sell their prod- is doing in my life. My idea of faith
monthly rotating charity. In July, ucts at The Mustard Seed. Deb says is pretty simple: I love God and
the charity is Alzheimer’s Disease, she chose these three companies therefore, I love people. All people.
in memory of Deb’s mother, who because they pay their employees So hopefully when people come
passed away from dementia.
living wages and they all have con- here, they feel loved. That’s really
The Mustard Seed is also avail- sistent pricing methods, meaning the premise behind it.”
able to rent for any organization the price of their products won’t
The Mustard Seed can be reached
that needs a space to meet, which suddenly rise.
at www.themustardseed1720.com
comes with an hourly fee. The fee
“The companies allow people to or on Facebook.
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