West Olympia cafe raises money, restaurant closes, 1 biz opens, 1 biz moves and a shoutout

The west Olympia restaurant known as Bits Cafe has had a successful fundraising campaign, according to Go Fund Me .

The effort, launched under the heading of “Help BITS Survive and Serve Our Wonderful Community,” raised more than $8,000 of an $8,000 goal, the site information shows.

“I absolutely hate to do this but it is our only chance for BITS to come out on the other side of this!,” said owner Tora Saeger about the fundraiser.

“We have hired the kitchen staff to keep us moving forward and, of course, our beloved Ryle will continue to help on Sundays, but I do not have the money to cover my upcoming payroll, mortgage, current utilities and inventory for the next week of service.

“Because we have had to close so many days in the last two months I have exhausted all of my reserves and loan options.

“This feels like pandemic times where we had to get creative and bunker down to weather the storm and we are all in because this is a damn good thing we have going here!!”

Saeger, in a Facebook video , thanked her Go Fund Me supporters and said that although the business will be closed for a little bit, Bits isn’t going away, she said.

“We are here to stay.”

Bits Cafe is at 903 Rogers St. NW.

Restaurant closes

Medicine Creek Cafe in the Nisqually Valley has closed, the business announced on Facebook .

The business closed Oct. 7.

“It’s hard to say goodbye, but we are so thankful for the memories and the love you’ve shown us over the years,” the farewell message reads. From all of us at Medicine Creek Cafe, thank you for being part of our journey. We will cherish these moments forever.”

Medicine Creek Cafe was tribally owned and was voted the 2019 & 2020 Best of Olympia, “Best Family Restaurant,” diner, according to its Facebook page.

The restaurant was known for serving breakfast all day, as well as burgers, fish and chips, sandwiches, salads and more.

Synergy Pilates and Massage opens

Mattey Tibbetts and three others have opened Synergy Pilates and Massage in the Larson Building at 605 11th Ave. SE.

Their previous space in downtown Olympia was put up for sale, so rather than wait around in limbo, they got proactive and renovated and filled 2,200 square feet on the north side of their new location, he said.

The renovations took place in April and they opened their doors on May 2, Tibbetts said.

“It’s our space, we created it and it has lots of light,” he said.

Tibbetts teaches pilates and is a personal trainer. They also offer massage and are about to add an acupuncturist. They also are looking to hire a yoga instructor, he said.

Synergy operates by appointment only. For more about Synergy, go to: mysynergystudio.com .

Agent hangs shingle downtown

Farmers Insurance agent Richard Lutterbie has opened his office in downtown Olympia at 407 Adams St., Suite 102.

“We are a new business but an old one at the same time,” he said in an email to The Olympian. “I have been operating the business for about six months but the agency itself has been around for 30+ years. It was previously operated under a different agency name with offices in Lacey. We relocated to downtown Olympia because of its exciting vibe. We think it’s in a bit of a renaissance, and we want to be at the heart of that.”

He added that he has lived in Olympia for four years after moving here from Los Angeles.

“I spent my career in tech but decided I wasn’t ready to ‘retire’ so took the plunge with Farmers and this agency,” he said. “The city’s got a lot going for it and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

Reader shout out, reader question

A reader sent an email to The Olympian to share his enthusiasm for Streets of Singapore, a relatively new restaurant on Capitol Way downtown, while a caller wants to know what’s going on with the former Sears building at South Sound Center in Lacey.

The Olympian wrote about the restaurant in November 2023.

The business had its soft opening Dec. 1, 2023, and a grand opening on Jan. 1, 2024, said Christopher Leong. His wife, Nantawan, is the primary owner and chef, he said.

Chris Leong was born in Singapore, the city-state in Southeast Asia that is home to a variety of cultures and foods. Streets of Singapore aims to reflect that mix by offering dishes from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, he said.

Some of those dishes: Singapore chicken rice, Malaysian fried rice, Indonesian vegetarian curry, Thai green curry (which is made with avocados), and a Singaporean kebab.

The restaurant’s tagline: “Southeast Asian comfort foods.”

As for the former Sears space, a retailer called At Home explored a possible move into that space in 2022, The Olympian reported.

At the time, a developer was set to meet with Lacey officials about an 8,000-square-foot addition to the property. That information showed an image of At Home, a Texas-based home decor retailer, occupying most of the building.

Following that, they moved forward with the expansion plans. But little has happened since then, a Lacey official said.

“For the Sears building, there was some work done on the property to prepare for At Home as a tenant, but the permits expired,” Lacey spokesman Ty Keltner said. “There has been no activity on the site for a year. There are no active construction permits for this site at this time.”

If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.