NEDERLAND, Colo. — Instead of handing out coffees and helping people find their next best read, Blue Owl Books in Nederland is filled with bare bookshelves and the memories of the past 20 years of business.
A pipe burst above the shop on Jan. 22, destroying half of the inventory, including rare books and merchandise.
"We got the meter reading from the town water meter, and they told us that was 3,600 gallons of water that had pumped into the upstairs area that came down through, just collapsing the ceilings," said Kimba Stefane, owner of Blue Owl Books.
Stefane has spent the past two decades making the Blue Owl feel like a home away from home. Growing up, she built bookshelves in her room to hold her personal collection.
"All I wanted to do was read," the bookstore owner said.
Stefane moved out to Colorado to pursue a degree in literature and dreamed of owning a bookstore when she was "a little old lady," but through fate and a friendship, that dream came true sooner than expected.
"I bought the store from a friend of mine. I actually worked here when my son was a toddler, and I worked in exchange for books, not for pay. And I'd come in with him, and we shelved books and do things for her," said Stefane.
Sadly, due to the flooding, Stefane was forced to temporarily shut down the Blue Owl. She hopes to reopen sometime in the spring.
"I miss it terribly every day. I miss being here. I miss connecting with the community and the tourists. A lot of tourists would stop through, you know. [I'm] missing all that," Stefane said.
Andrew Dewart, chair of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, said these mom-and-pop shops like Blue Owl Books have a significant impact on the local economy.
"Small business to the town is so important for, obviously, the sales tax revenue of the town, but also really the cultural identity. And the community identity of small businesses is important," said Dewart. "This time of year, it's difficult. Traffic isn't always what it should be to support businesses, so the businesses that can stay open year round, it's really important that we have them."
After the flood, Stefane said her business received immense support from the community, both in-person and online.
"The outpouring from the community was so heartwarming," she said. "It was phenomenal. In the face of the trauma that we felt and we were going through, people showed up within a couple of hours right here by my side, just helping me, you know, get out anything that was salvageable."
A GoFundMe online fundraiser has already garnered more than $27,000 to help Blue Owl cover the costs of lost inventory, temporary storage fees and daily expenses.
"The GoFundMe, that's been a lifeline for us because both my partner and myself were employed here. This is our livelihood, this is our life, and so we both were immediately unemployed," Stefane said.
Stefane hopes the business will be able to open back up as the weather becomes warmer and foot traffic increases.
"We've been through so much in 20 years. You can imagine the things that I've been through," said Stefane. "I've had break-ins. You know, when the fire came up to Nederland and all the canyons were closed in the middle of our peak season and we went through that. We went through the flood two years ago when all the canyons were flooded, the pandemic. I mean, just one thing after the other, and, you know, the Blue Owl has survived. So I am just feeling really hopeful and really driven to have this just be another thing that the Blue Owl is going to survive."
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.