Local Coffee Haunt...Closing

It is with great sadness that I post this entry. We have a small coffee "hut" in our neighborhood and I just found out that they are closing. The best thing about this coffee hut is the barrista, Carla. Not only does she make great coffee, she is always ready to talk about local and world events, her grandchild, my children... just about anything. She is a real touchstone for our neighborhood. I have heard that Starbucks will be opening a coffee bar where the hut once stood. This saddens me even more as I live in an area where gentrification is the norm and the coffee hut was one thing that was eccentric and communal. I have been getting my coffee there for almost a decade. I guess that change must come, I am saddened by the communal loss that will come with it.