The people who run a St. Paul cafe say they had “a surreal and pretty awful night watching our beloved business on fire.”

Groundswell is on the first floor of a two-story building at Thomas and Hamline avenues in the Midway area. The fire department posted at 10:44 p.m. Wednesday that they were at the scene of an apartment fire after responding to a 911 call reporting heavy smoke inside. The caller reported all occupants had escaped.

“Everyone is safe, and that is what matters most,” said an early Thursday post on Groundswell’s Facebook page.

No injuries were reported and the fire department said they’re investigating the cause of the fire.

“Really sad to say we won’t be able to serve you your latte and scone tomorrow,” Groundswell’s post said. “We will keep you posted as we learn more.”

Groundswell has had its share of calamities over the years, and the business credits neighbors and friends for helping them make it through.

Groundswell got its start in December 2009, with “the resurrection project of the coffeeshop at 1342 Thomas Ave,” the business’ website says. “… We scraped together as much money as we could, asked a bunch of our friends to volunteer their time at the espresso machine, and opened Groundswell Coffee.”

The coffeeshop had to close for nearly three months in 2011 when a ceiling collapsed.

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In December 2012, they found out the neighboring business was closing and decided to expand — offering in-house bakery and cafe food, along with beer and wine. A friend opened a shop inside featuring arts and crafts made by local artists.

By 2015, Groundswell’s baker and general manager Megan Greulich competed on the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge.”

“The national exposure helped expand our bakery, and Megan’s ugly Christmas sweater cookies became a fixture of our holiday season,” Groundswell says on its website.

In 2017, a car crashed through the front of the business. No one was hurt. “And, true to the spirit of the neighborhood, our neighbors showed up in waves, checking in on us and offering to help us clean up,” the website said.