On a sunny July morning, Staycation is as alive as ever. New summer drinks are being whipped up at the bar (the new icebox lemon latte is a hit), young parents swap stories about their young children, another woman curls up with a book on the couch in the front, as a teenager does the same at a picnic table in the backyard. It feels like the shop is right in its prime, a juxtaposition that makes the Observer writer sitting in the corner sad, because he’s here today to eulogize one of the best coffee shops in North Texas.
In February, we spoke with Staycation owner Nicole Gregory on her coffee shop’s impending move, which was set to be just a few minutes down the road in downtown Richardson. Businesses move all the time, but the refurbished 1940s home that housed Staycation was as much part of its charm as the drinks. Add in a nice enclosed backyard with hammocks, yard games and freedom for young families to relax and let their kids roam free and you have yourself a neighborhood classic.
The move wasn’t voluntary. Gregory’s lease was shortened on little notice so that the lot could be redesigned as an apartment complex. When that news broke, a group of Staycation’s loyal regulars joined Gregory to lobby the local administration for additional funding to support the move. It was sad enough to think of it moving spots, but now it’s looking like Staycation could be gone for good…