The storm in July left AJ’s Music Café with water damage, but in true Ferndale spirit – the café is turning the lousy weather into a positive experience. With the help of money from insurance and some kind members of the community -- AJ O’Neil, the café's owner, is looking to give the coffee shop a bit of a remodel.

“I want this place to be a beacon of hope and creativity and it should also look that way,” said O’Neil.

While O’Neil has high hopes for the café, the majority of his time is spent maintaining the operations and entertainment aspects of the business. To help with the completion of the remodel, O’Neil has turned to the community for help in giving the spot a fresh look.

_Dennis Bruce Spencer_ has been coming to AJ’s for a little over a year and has taken an invested interest in the café’s success. As an artist, Spencer saw what the café could become.

“This is a cool spot with a lot of space and it has a ton of potential. It’s an eclectic, social café and I enjoy that,” said Spencer. “But it also has to be clean and have a better standard in appearance.”

While Spencer appreciates the art, music and community feel of the café – he has realized that O’Neil needs some help with the look of the space. Spencer has offered his words of wisdom to O’Neil and helps where he can, in a variety of ways.

With Spencer’s help -- each month, three artists will have the opportunity to show their work on the walls of AJ’s. Spencer has been painting for nearly 50 years and is well connected in the artist community. He has lined up an array of artists to display their work in the upcoming months.

The café is not picky about the genre of art displayed.

“We just want the work to be representational of the artist,” said O’Neil. “I hope that the artists will respect that we have a variety of customers, including families, but we don’t want to sensor their work.”

One of October’s artists was Ashley Williams. Williams painted the mural on the back of AJ’s Music Café and works with charcoals, pastels and acrylic paints. Most of her work is concentrated on the human body.

“The human body is filled with unique characteristics and mystery. It really inspires me,” said Williams. “I felt that because I did the mural, displaying my work here would be a great fit.”

In addition to the monthly-featured artists, AJ’s Café has welcomed local artists to decorate ceiling tiles that were damaged in the storm.

“People would come in the back door and see these stained tiles immediately. First impressions are everything,” said Spencer. “The tile idea came from a bar I’ve been to. It was a crappy, dirty place but the art on the ceiling was really good and it gave the entire place a great vibe.”

The café still has a lot of work to do, but patrons are embracing the changes that are happening.

“It’s a lot more welcoming in here,” said Chris Wyatt, a Ferndale resident. “I like that the art will be changing every month. There aren’t a lot of places like that – always offering a refreshing view.”

Artists are still needed to finish the tile decoration and Spencer is looking to book artists to display artwork in future months.

Though Spencer is happy to lend a hand to the café, he realizes that it needs to be a community effort. In the near future, he hopes to organize a group of volunteers to fully remodel the café.

O'Neil's lease is up early next year and he is debating if he will continue operating the business. Money has been tight and many improvements are needed.

“We need more people backing this place. I have plenty of ideas. I’ve been around awhile and I’ve traveled a lot and seen many coffee shops. But, I can’t do it on my own,” Spencer said. “If the café goes out of business, this great spot with poetry, music and art won’t be here anymore. Who knows what the next guy will turn it in to?”

If you are interested in being a featured artist at AJ’s Music Café, contact Dennis Bruce Spencer through his website: www.dennisbrucespencer.com.