Farewell to a South Deerfield Institution

I’ve reached a milestone, and forgive me for blogging about this once already. But I thought I had a deal to keep the GoNOMAD Cafe open, and alas, like many things in life, it was not to be. With the combination of recalcitrant landlords and shaky finances, the deal went ‘poof.’ So this will be our final weekend serving the good citizens of South Deerfield and beyond.

The plug had to be pulled when my refrigerator blew this morning, leaving me without anywhere to store fresh produce and meats. Then with the news that the buyers had backed out, well, it was a quick and easy decision. Unwinding five years of a business is fraught with peril, but also, a true sense of relief.

There is nothing like having a retail business to remind you of what a slave you truly are to it. The text messages come in from staff, calling out at the crack of dawn, the the vendors have your cellphone number, which they call at all hours looking for a check. Just as you think you’ve had a fantastic day, your friendly bookkeeper reminds you of that meal tax that’s overdue, and the notice from the electric company that’s sitting there in the bill pile. It never ends.

So this weekend we’ll celebrate our final two days as a cafe. We will run out of food and little by little, we will be finished with our mission to serve people food that I guess they couldn’t afford. I will miss every one of the characters I have come to know by name, miss their quirks and their coffee habits, and I will miss the fun of having my own counter to stand behind. Farewell all, I gave it the best that I could!