CLEVELAND — Cove City Church in Downtown Cleveland is in the midst of an expansion project after purchasing the building next door that once housed a strip club.

“It’s actually pretty incredible. It feels a little surreal to be honest,” Pastor Josh Miller said. Cove City Church.

Miller met me at St. Louis near E. 25th Street. He spoke at a 5,600-square-foot warehouse space along St. Clair Boulevard. The church purchased the space in the summer of 2023 after bidding at a foreclosure auction.

Last year the building was completely demolished.

“So we were able to do what God called us to do, which is have an event center, auditorium space and coffee shop here,” Miller said.

It’s a different flair than when the building housed The Velvet Rope, a gentlemen’s club, in an area that Miller said could be called strip club row because of the number of strip clubs that remain.

“The weekends were like Mardi Gras. There were cars everywhere. There were parties everywhere,” Miller said.

“So it’s kind of ironic. The church is buying the old strip club,” I asked Miller.

“A bit surreal, isn’t it?” Miller responded.

Cove City Church moved to the block in 2021. By then The Velvet Rope had closed, but its signs were still on the property.

Miller received the keys to the building after a successful bid at a foreclosure auction in August 2023.

“The biggest impact churches can have is to look outside these four walls and ask, ‘What are the needs of the community?’ is what they ask. So how can you serve society? Miller said.

He sees the reimagined venue hosting concerts, community celebrations and serving coffee to customers on their way to work and school.

“Our hope is that this can be a job resource center for the community, because that’s what it’s all about. This is beyond a Sunday morning thing,” Miller said.

Granny Anne’s Dry Cleaning is a stone’s throw from the church. Dave Hunsinger opened the business named after his grandmother in the 1990s. Despite companies coming and going and crime fluctuating over the years, the neighborhood is still a beautiful place, he said.

“I think the neighborhood is hopeful that the police station on the corner will be very helpful,” Hunsinger said. “Everyone here is looking for better retail. “So the thought of the church opening a nice coffee shop is great.”

Hunsinger said The Velvet Rope’s closing is good for many in the community.

“There’s a lot of shootings. It was a bad club. If people are responsible, there’s nothing wrong with clubs like that. People come and go home, but this wasn’t that kind of place,” Hunsinger said.

He supports the expansion of the church to make it successful.

Church member Isaac Burnson is one of many people who contributed to the project. He wants the new space to help people grow their faith and sense of community.

“It’s a place of sanctuary for people to come to, regardless of their lifestyle,” Brunson said.

Brunson and his wife have been going to church for about two years.

“I experienced the presence of Jesus here,” Brunson said. “This is important to me. It was important to my wife and it was very important that they embrace us as a family… We didn’t need to look anywhere else.”

Brunson said his pastor’s passion for helping others was contagious.

“I look forward to what the future holds here,” Brunson said.

Miller said the expansion is a continuation of the church’s outreach, which includes working with the homeless and with Building Hope in the City, a nonprofit that rehabs homes to bring affordable housing to Cleveland.

Miller said he hopes to open his church’s new event space and café by the end of next year.