Beloved Downtown Boulder Coffee Shop To Close At Year's End

BOULDER, CO -- Just a few days before Christmas, the owners of a downtown coffee shop that has hosted countless study sessions and first dates — a place where tech start-ups hosted early meetings, kids sipped cocoa, and everyone loved the carrot cake — put out a heartbreaking sign on their sandwich message board.

"Store Closing," it read. Perhaps trying to ease the blow, "1/2 off Kleen Kanteen. Stuff for sale." The stuff for sale included custom-made recycling bins, wall art, and a vintage cell phone booth currently installed to accommodate chatty customers in the back of the shop.

Comments poured in from fans across all the social media websites. Some, no longer even living in Boulder, lamented the fact that they couldn't make one more visit before the Dec. 31 closing date.

"Oh my gosh. My heart is breaking," wrote one Facebook fan.

"Sobbing in Illinois," wrote another.

One woman noted that the shop's sesame bagels with cream cheese "Got me through my first pregnanacy."

One of my favorite places in Boulder and foundational to the emergence of the tech community here. Thank you @thecupboulder! Lots of love. And the best BLT in town.
— Natty Zola (@NattyZ) December 23, 2018

"Yes, the rent is high," co-owner Wendy Ball responded to a customer asking about the reasons behind the closure. "But really, it's the lack of people on the East End of Pearl Street." In an interview with the Daily Camera, co-owner Chris Ball noted that many corporate offices on the East End have started to catering services to their employees.

The Cup will be open through Dec, 31, until 1 p.m. each day.

Do you have a favorite memory at The Cup? Let us know in the comments below, or on our Boulder Facebook page.

noooooooooooo thank you for keeping me caffeinated through grad school, being the spot I first met tons of people when I moved boulder, and remaining one of my top recommendations for visitors to town
— Josh Montague (@jrmontag) December 23, 2018

Thanks for the good, coffee-fueled, productive times. Here's a drawing I did in 2013. pic.twitter.com/Ajr6SQfK71
— Steve ✦ Lowtwait (@Lowtwait) December 23, 2018

Do you like this article? Join the Boulder Patch on Facebook! Stay in touch with the news and events that shape Boulder County. Sign up for your free Patch newsletter here.

Photo Credit: Steve Meddle/Shutterstock