Back to Normal Hours

Yesterday we got back to normal hours.
We're re-stocked and all machines are in good working order.
It was nice to have a couple of days to accomplish all that needed to be done, but, yes, we missed you, too.
Thanks for a great Memorial Day Week and thank you for letting us know how much you missed us the past couple of days!
:)

Special Memorial Day Week Hours

Yes, you read that correctly: Memorial WEEK.
This is still subject to change, but at this time, the following hours are correct (AND different than normal - so take note!):

Friday May 22
Regular opening at 6:15am
Regular closing is at 9:00pm, but because of the events on Main Street, we will remain open until we are no longer busy.

Saturday May 23
Regular opening at 7:15am
Regular closing is at 9:00pm, but because of the event on Main Street, we will remain open until we are no longer busy.

Sunday May 24
We are normally closed on Sunday, but there are events on Main Street so we will be open from 10:15am - 5:00pm

Monday May 25
Regular opening at 6:15am
Closing at 1:00pm
We will offer bottle drinks and a limited selection of quick-grab eats outside.
Come on inside for your regular coffee, smoothies, and other regular goodies!

Tuesday May 26
and
Wednesday May 27
We will be CLOSED.
Regulars, please take note!
We will be closed for inventory, restocking, and several items of maintanence that cannot be performed during normal business hours (Our espresso machine will be undergoing its regularly scheduled preventative maintanence).

Thursday May 28
We will resume our regular hours.

Memorial City - Schedule of Events for Memorial Day Weekend 2009

The Memorial Day weekend schedule is posted over at the Taylor County Blog Project.

Here's the link:
http://www.taylorcountywestvirginia.com/2009/05/memorial-day-weekend-2009-grafton-wv.html

Adding On: Progress Pics

Ridgepole construction is almost complete in this picture:



Here's the "topping off" flag:





'Topping off' is explained well in this article:
http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/news/stories/topoff/
“Topping off” a building is an old tradition among construction workers. When the topmost structural element of a multi-story building is in place, workers signify the occasion by placing a small evergreen tree or flag on top. The new ARC building has both. Often, construction workers sign the last steel beam before it is hoisted into place.
"According to some traditions, the tree symbolize that construction so far has occurred without injury or death to the workers, while others say it provides good luck to the future inhabitants.
"Scott L. Melnick wrote in the December, 2000, issue of Modern Steel Construction that the origin of the practice is uncertain but likely traces back thousands of years to either Scandinavians or Germans, who often built with the plentiful evergreen trees scattered throughout northern Europe. Some legends, Melnick said, even date the practice back to early Romans. "

I've seen PC 'top off' quite a few buildings. He's used both evergreens and flags. It's almost Memorial Day in the Memorial City, so the flag seems appropriate.

The roof rafters begin (yep, the flag is still there, just hard to see):

Colerider Descendents

Most of these old building on Main Street are known by name, at least to Grafton natives. The names are usually derived from the original owner/builder. Sometimes an occupant was significant enough to override the original name (the JCPenney Building, for example), but generally the original name sticks.

The Grafton 123 is in the Colerider Building.

A month or so ago I got an email from Henry Colerider's Great-granddaughter!

Here's the email (the link below works, too, for more information on Henry and his extended family):

"Dear M.K.,
I am Henry Colerider's Great Granddaughter. I was googling his name and found out about your Coffee Shop. I was very happy to learn that Henry's building is still standing and being used in such wonderful fashion in Grafton. I am very curious about the previous tenants of the building... bakery, Insurance Agency, and dentist.
That is so strange... my GG Grandfather moved from Grafton to Fayetteville, NC and his office building in Fayetteville housed a bakery downstairs and a dentist's office upstairs. It is so strange that in both cities he would have buildings and the same kind of businesses used his buildings. The Fayetteville information is from my mother, who knows this to be true because she and her sisters inherited the Fayetteville building from my Grandmother. A dentist was renting that building when the sisters sold it.
It was interesting to learn that you are a writer. I am too. My name appears in about 130 text books. I'm a retired middle school science teacher, and until recently, I published science texts for Glencoe McGraw Hill. I've tried publishing children's books, with no success.
If you'd like to see pictures of Henry and learn about the man, you can go to my website:
<http://www.susanleachsnyder.com/Genealogy/Generation5HenryColerider.html>
May I have permission to use your pictures of the coffee shop on my website? I'd love to include them.
Sincerely,
Susan Leach Snyder"

Adding On: Progress Pics

Adding On: Progress Pics

First wall on the second floor:


South wall, second floor:


The sign doesn't look nearly so high now:

I love this view, looking up the Tygart River Valley:

Adding On: Progress Pics

Second floor rafters:

Looking up:

Stairs:

Adding On: Progress Pics

Spring flowers

Adding On: Progress Pics

Like normal, these are old pictures.
Here's the excavator:


that dug a big hole in the hillside:


Here are a few of the bottles that were dug out of the hillside:


More concrete for the footing boxes in the hillside: