At the end of this month, Clint McCune and Sara Pelfrey will be stepping down as owners of Soulfood Books in Redmond.

After seven years of running the downtown gathering spot, located at 15748 Redmond Way, they will be handing their keys over to Kevin Oaks and Anita Ensley, two longtime members of the Soulfood community. Oaks was one of Soulfood’s first customers when they opened all those years ago and Ensley has worked for them in the past.

“It’s for sure staying in the family,” McCune said.

Because Oaks and Ensley have this history with Soulfood, McCune said they know the coffee shop will continue with the same heart. He said the incoming owners — or stewards, as they feel the entire community owns Soulfood — hold an integrity, spark and passion for life close to their hearts and that is what Soulfood is about.

McCune and Pelfrey let the community know about a year ago that they were looking for someone to take over their coffee shop. After a “year of discovery” they announced Oaks and Ensley as the new stewards on May 7 at Soulfood’s seventh anniversary event.

Craig Larsen, who has worked at Soulfood for six years and is now a manager, said the news of the upcoming change has been met with excitement among the employees. He described Soulfood as an “anomaly” because there are no feelings of anxiety, nervousness or worry that may come when a business changes owners. Larsen added that no employees are leaving, either.

“Everyone’s staying,” he said. “I’m here till my key doesn’t work. I love this place.”

Redmond City Council member John Stilin, who holds regular hours at Soulfood every Tuesday from 3-4 p.m. as an opportunity for community members to meet with him and ask any questions they may have about the happenings at the city, also loves the coffee shop. He said in the seven years that they have been running Soulfood, McCune and Pelfrey have created a true community gathering spot for people of all ages and all walks of life, who intersect with each other. Stilin said there is a magical feel to Soulfood and when people go in for the first time, they say, “Wow, this is really a nice place.”

Before McCune and Pelfrey step down, they will hold a Last Waltz party from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 30 at Soulfood.

“Our whole goal is to really celebrate this exciting thing and thank the community,” Pelfrey said.

McCune added that it is their last chance as owners to make the community a cup of coffee.

After that, Soulfood will be closed from July 1-4 for inventory and some maintenance in preparation for the transition. Larsen added that with the holiday, this week is usually one of their slower weeks of the year.

Customers shouldn’t expect much to change when Soulfood reopens on July 5 under its new stewardship as most changes will be behind the scenes, but McCune and Pelfrey acknowledged that some things will probably be different.

“There’ll be some surprises,” Pelfrey said.

She and McCune have made many connections in the local artist community through Soulfood, and after this, they will be staying on as consultants until the end of the year to bridge those connections between the artists and Oaks and Ensley to make sure the transition will be as smooth as possible.

In addition, their post-Soulfood life will include some of the same things they have been doing at the coffee shop — working with local artists and organizations and being creative together — but on a larger scale and bringing that to the surrounding Redmond community. McCune is also releasing an album in conjunction with “Brother,” a short film he stars in — which was directed by Adam Chambers, an independent filmmaker from Bothell.

When asked what else she will be up to now that she will no longer be running Soulfood, Pelfrey said, sleep, with a laugh. She and McCune acknowledged that as two non-morning people, running a coffee shop — especially in the Pacific Northwest where people take their coffee seriously — was not easy. But they did it with a smile.

“To own a business, you’ve got to love it,” McCune said.