My Beloved 'Bou

Today I ran into a friend who told me that my favorite Caribou Coffeehouse (the one at Tremont & Zollinger), the place where I do much of my writing (since I have not yet been able to train myself to write at home), was being demolished. She had driven past and the place was closed off with yellow tape and there were bulldozers in the parking lot.

"They've torn out the flower beds and I'm afraid the building is next!"

We both knew that Zuppa, a pasta and sub place, had moved down the street and that DaVinci's, an Italian place, was moving in, but Caribou?

"I was just there Sunday! No one said a thing!"

I was across town when I heard this news and spent the day agitated and forlorn. I remembered a blue day when I lived in Taos, New Mexico, driving up to Taos Coffee Company and finding the place dark and empty. A sign on the door read, "To our loyal patrons. Finances have required us to close our doors. Best of luck. The Owners." I'd sat in my car and cried. I'd written for months about the wonderful days my writing group had spent in that small space eating bagels and drinking lattes. It had been a haven in the mountains and it was gone.

On the way home this afternoon, with great trepidation, I drove a few miles out of my road to pass the Tremont 'Bou and see the disaster for myself. As I came upon the scene, I saw the yellow tape, the bulldozers, the missing flowerbeds. I felt a pain well up in my heart and nearly let out a sob until I looked into the windows. The lights were on. Patrons were sitting at the tables, patrons who looked happy. There was a barista in her black Caribou apron, a barista who looked happy. The patrons were drinking coffee! I took a closer look. The parking lot had been torn up and a few cars were parked haphazardly around the lot. New cement berms shone in the sun.

I don't know what they're doing. I hope they're putting in outdoor seating. Plentiful outdoor seating has been an added bonus of Columbus' smoking ban. Maybe they're just fixing the problematic parking situation and we will no longer have to dodge each other as we jockey for spots. I don't know. But they're definitely still in business and still brewing some of my favorite java. My writing can continue!