New owners plan to keep the community spirit of the Hilltop staple going strong.
BY KEELIN EVERLY-LANG for WEEKLY VOLCANO 2/27/26 |
Calvin Williams is the new owner and, after a short closure during the holidays, now has the doors open four days a week at 1114 M.L.K. Jr. Way in Tacoma.
“We’ve been from this community all our life and to be able to keep this going is a blessing, not just for me, for my family, but I would say for the community as well,” Calvin WIlliams told Weekly Volcano, noting the importance of having “another Black-owned business in the community,” especially in the context of neighborhood development and changes in Hilltop.
He is bringing both his entrepreneurial spirit and background in the culinary world to continue Red Elm Cafe’s role in the community. The cafe has long been appreciated by the community for its warm and welcoming atmosphere, creative waffle creations, gluten-free options, and generous gathering space.
The new owners are bringing out new waffle flavors and drink lineups as they ramp up operations to be open more days a week.
Some new creations include the cookie butter waffle and strawberry crunch waffle, along with new drink options like the chocolate-dipped chai and raspberry beret.
While Calvin Williams is the owner, a familiar face is also involved. Cassandra Williams, owner of Love by the Slice down the street, is his mother.
Love by the Slice is located at 1112 S. 11th St., Ste. 105, in Tacoma and is both a bakery and a catering company that has provided sweet treats to Tacoma for two decades, although it did not open its brick-and-mortar doors until 2023.
Treats from Love by the Slice have been sold at Red Elm for the past several years, and that connection will continue now that her son owns the cafe.
“We’ve always loved the Red Elm. I know all the owners, every single owner,” Cassandra Williams told Weekly Volcano. “We’ll be fourth-generation ownership for the Red Elm, and we are excited.”
Cassandra Williams was born and raised in Hilltop and, although she currently lives in East Tacoma, she has maintained her deep roots and connection to the neighborhood.
“I love this community. I have thoroughly enjoyed being here, watching the development happen in this community, and having this shop right here,” she told Weekly Volcano.
“My favorite part of any job I have is just interacting with the people, so anything that will give me an opportunity to do that, it just brings me great joy,” Cassandra Williams added.
While Calvin Williams plans to continue the community focus and heart of the cafe, he is also looking forward to adding new features and events.
He has experience helping to put on other events around the community and wants to bring that energy to Red Elm.
They also have plans to add more features to their community space in the back of the cafe so that it can function more as an internet cafe and have more tools for those who want to hold business and community meetings there.
“We certainly will continue to be a safe space for community members, a great meeting place. We want to be a place that’s known for great waffles, great coffee, and great paninis,” she said.
When the family was approached to consider buying the business, Cassandra Williams said it was Calvin who saw the opportunity the cafe really presented.
The previous owner had closed the business because he was trying to figure out how to reorganize things, and the Williams family asked if there was anything they could do to help keep the business going while the sale was being finalized.
“My son made a cash injection into the business, and we were able to reopen,” Cassandra Williams said.
In order to keep the business running after taking it over, the family had to make some challenging choices. The cafe had to close suddenly, and the staff was laid off in order to keep the business from completely going under.
When they reopened a few weeks later with limited hours, those who were laid off were invited to return at the same pay. Some did, while others chose to move on.
“We’ve been fortunate. People wanted to come back to work. I’ve never seen anything like it, even after such an abrupt disruption to their work schedules,” Cassandra Williams said, explaining that when the former staff heard that they wanted to reopen, many were ready to help.
Even previous owners showed up to help reopen the cafe after the temporary closure. Sofia Reilly offered to come run the espresso machine, and the most recent owner helped make sure there was enough support to get the reopening off to a good start.
“Everybody came together to make sure that opening day was well supported and that we had the help that we needed, and that made me feel really good,” Cassandra Williams said. “It was a good feeling to know that people like it so much that even though there’s been a rough patch, they’re still willing to come back and make that investment, so that spoke volumes to me about the previous owners of the Red Elm.”
Red Elm Cafe first opened in March 2017. The cafe was a joint venture between sisters Jennifer Richardson, Adina Joslyn, and Sarah Joslyn, who saw the need for a warm, inviting space for the community to gather in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma.
To celebrate the cafe’s next chapter and honor its legacy so far, the team is planning an anniversary party, with details to be announced soon.
