Monica LaSalle, Nederland. While walking in the door to say goodbye and thank you to Casey, I pause to read the sign posted on the door “Monday, March 11. The Final Hurrah 9 am - ?” Outlined with hearts, it is easy to feel the love, pain and heartbreak she must be feeling, having to say goodbye to a community she has been dedicated to serving for years. As I enter, I see customers sitting at tables with sad faces, enjoying the last of the savory treats they will ever get from Happy Trails, while Casey stands behind the counter serving another customer as they bid her farewell with gratitude. Tears glisten in her eyes as she shares the sentiments passed on to her often accompanied by hugs.
Jacob, of The Neighborhood Chimney Sweep out of Jamestown, walks in the door and immediately approaches her with open arms. The hugging is extra-long during this exchange, for Casey has been feeding Jacob and his growing family for years through her coffee shop. Witnessing such a poignant and tender moment, I too am brought to tears. She tells me later that she has been brought to tears all day from such exchanges,
and that it was Peter Stader, from New Moon Bakery and Café, coming in as her last first customer of the day, who initially made her cry.
She gives me assurances that it is only a goodbye in that particular space, not forever. She has come to a point where she is able to see the closure as positive forward movement, though it is a shame for the community that now has a hole where her coffee shop used to be. This is evident by the sorrowful expressions and verbose comments on social media where dedicated customers lament Happy Trails being replaced by another dispensary from an out of town chain. Casey says she will be in Denver taking some time away, but she could never stay away from a community she has loved and served for long. She will be back.
(Originally published in the March 21, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)
