Community rallies around Liberty Cafe owner

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Members of the Renton community rallied together to support a long-time downtown business owner and her family.

Michael Moskowitz and Naomi Clayton have set up a fundraiser to financially support Liberty Cafe Owner Debbie Natelson and her husband, Paul, who is in hospice care.

“Deb Natelson has been a staple in downtown Renton for almost 40 years and just a community bedrock person,” Moskowitz said.

Natelson started in a coffee cart before moving to Jet City Espresso, where Moskowitz worked with her for 15 years. Natelson later took over Liberty Cafe, located at 926 S. Third Street, from Moskowitz and his business partner, Johnnie Uysal, after Uysal died.

“She is somebody I’ve always been able to just count on being there,” Moskowitz said. “She’s just kind of the quintessential barista. She remembers everybody’s birthday. She remembers everybody’s drink. She’ll remember something about every single person that comes in, so that it can always come back to that. It’s a superpower.”

Paul could be regularly found in and around Natelson’s business. Moskowitz said the fundraiser is meant to alleviate some of the burden Natelson has in running a small business so that she can spend more time with Paul at the end of his life.

“I know that some of her larger wants are time to spend with her husband,” Moskowitz said. “I think money for stability and then money to also kind of allow her to hire out more hours. Because she’s the kind of owner, you know, she’s the owner and the main worker at her job.”

The fundraiser can be found on GoFundMe’s website under the title “Support Liberty Cafe and Debbie in Renton.” As of July 13, the fundraiser has raised $6,195 with 57 donations.

“I think it just shows that when she took a gamble on opening espresso in Renton in the 90s, and that just shows that the investment that she has put in has dividends and one of them is people giving back when called upon to do so.” Moskowitz said. “I really think, overall humans, we do look out for each other.”

Natelson responded to the fundraiser support on Facebook through the Liberty Cafe page and thanked Moskowitz and Clayton for setting it up.

“I am blown away by the incredible generosity of all of you who have donated. Words cannot even begin to describe how moved I am. Paul is too. He’s just having a hard time communicating now. Watching someone who was once so strong and self-reliant deteriorating so is an experience I hope you never have to go [through],” Natelson said. “I just saw names of people who I haven’t seen in years. Wow, how sweet and heartwarming. I’m absolutely [blown] over and very choked up.”