Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.     It seems like karma, or destiny, or just a series of fortunate events, that brought Nick Morgan and Casey Kalista together…which led to their purchasing Happy Trails, a long-time Nederland bicycle and coffee shop. However it happened, Nick and Casey are walking on clouds, reveling in their good fortune.

They both know it is going to be a huge task but they are ready for it.

Nick is a native of Vermont. He went to high school in West Virginia and then joined the Army Reserves, planning to become an engineer. After being deployed to Baghdad as part of the first cavalry division, he became a veteran's advocate.

In 2009 he moved to Colorado and worked at helping veterans get green jobs when they transitioned out of the military. He worked out of Durango, Salida, and the San Luis Valley.

"But it was time for me to use my education benefits," says Nick. He attended CU, finishing up his graduate work in ecology and evolutionary biology, planning to graduate this year.

"I moved to Nederland because I needed some elbow room. I am not a city guy."

Casey was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. When she graduated from high school, she moved to Chicago, studying film and video production at Columbia University. While Casey was in high school she worked at cafes and coffee shop to pay her way through college, learning the food industry from many angles.

After college, she traveled. A six-week trip to Prague ended up being a four-year cultural education. She worked in a cafe and became fluent in Czech and knowledgeable about how to run coffee and tea shops and cafes.

After four years, she left Prague and came to Nederland where her sister lived. "I wanted to be in a small town, in woodland where I felt comfortable. I went to work for New Moon Bakery and felt like I was becoming part of the community."

Nick and Casey arrived in Nederland right about the same time in 2012. He lived at the end of First Street and made a habit of getting coffee at New Moon. They took their time getting to know each other and the more they knew, the more they felt they complemented each other.

Casey began working part time for Randy Ruhl, the owner of Happy Trails, and soon worked her way up to a full-time position. Not long after that, Randy suggested that she buy the business, as after more than 20 years he wanted to move his bikes out and begin another stage of his life.

"This is my dream," said Casey. "Nick and I had been talking about it the night before and here it was. We asked each other if we could do it."

Nick says he knows the Ned market is saturated with coffee shops, but he says, "This is an established business. We are reaching to the community and putting our own touch on the shop. We think there is a place for a section of our community who want a place to go, a niche for the Deadheads and the hippies. It is not a bar, it is a safe place."

Nick and Casey say they will keep everything that is current. They plan to add tacos and quesadillas to the menu, but they don't want to compete with other businesses. They will serve craft beer and wine and host events, like a "Wine and Words" night.

Nick wants also to host a veterans' writers night, open mic style with poetry and prose from people who need to express themselves. “This is a place to feel comfortable, a place to heal,” says Nick. It will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m.

When the bikes are moved out, there will be more furniture and a quiet reading space, a meeting room. So far it has been a great transition, working with Randy who has become a resource and a friend.

The new owners have been in place for four weeks, since July 7. This summer is the 20th anniversary of Happy Trails, a good time for new beginnings.

Owning and running a business, even an established one, is a huge endeavor, but Nick and Casey feel up to it. The hardest part, they say, is the logistics of contracts and ordering supplies. But the employees and community have supported them and the staff is functioning like a family.

The shop will be open every day 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. and they met their goal of opening mid-summer.

"We have had such good luck. Everything has felt right and the universe has laid out a path for us."