DENVER — A beloved coffee shop along the South Platte River in Denver is closing its doors Sunday after it was unable to raise funds to purchase its building.
Now, the owners of The Table Public House are hosting a gathering amid the bittersweet day to celebrate the community they've created.
Craig Broeke, co-founder, said the shop opened in 2021 as an extension of his and his wife's non-profit, Table Urban Farm, which is designed to help alleviate hunger in Denver.
"We opened the doors and we created a space, and the community sort of found it and found each other. I believe if you create space for people to gather, people will do that," Broeke said.
Their five-year lease is ending, and he said they were half a million dollars short of raising enough money to buy the building.
"We could continue to stay open and risk losing staff and community support, or we wind it down and have a good two week period and culminate with a really great Irish funeral today," he said.
It's a sad day for people like Jill Simonitis and her family, who consider themselves regulars.
"I’m a little sad. This does feel like an extension of our house a bit. We live right down the road and have been loving coming here. And I just feel like it’s a bit of a community piece being lost, which is, you know, sad," Simonitis said. "This is like my mom's spot. This is where I come to meet other moms; we all bring our kids; we know they’ll have activities to do."
As for what's next, Broek said he's an optimist.
"I think we’ve put some good vibes into the bones of this facility and into the community. Yeah, it’s hard to say goodbye, but I’m excited to see what comes of it," he said.
And while they're waiting, he said they'll be continuing their non-profit on the side.
