10/07/2025
I have written and deleted this more times than I can count. Sparky’s is closing.
Since March 2022, that little corner café has been a home. We learned faces and favorite orders. We watched strangers become regulars, milestones get celebrated, and tough days ease over a warm plate. We ended our days covered in flour and grease, with tired feet and aching backs, cleaning and re-cleaning to satisfy my OCD, just to start again early the next morning. Many weekday lunches, weekend brunches, pans of holiday meals, and special events came and went. It wasn’t always perfect, but through the chaos, we always gave our best. That work mattered. I’m proud of it.
To every teammate, past and present, you are the soul of Sparky’s. Your grit, kindness, and heart built this with me, and I will forever be grateful for the friendships that grew between us. You became more like family than coworkers, and that will always stay with me.
To my mother, Kelly—thank you. After retiring from the school system, you could have rested, but instead you poured yourself into Sparky’s right beside me. Your relentless determination, your demand for perfection, and your constant push for improvement shaped this café as much as I ever did. You gave so much of yourself, sometimes I joked it was free labor, but the truth is it was priceless. Sparky’s would never have been what it was without you.
And finally, there’s Sparky. On a cold December day many years ago, while I was working at J&D Café, he appeared at the back door, skinny, hungry, and begging for attention. I didn’t expect him to stick around, but every time I stepped outside, he was still there waiting. He acted like he needed me so badly that day, but as I would later learn, I was the one who truly needed him. He became family, and his name became our café. The love and spirit he has shown me are what I always hoped people would feel when they walked through our doors.
This decision is heavy but honest. An unexpected opportunity opened a new door, and saying yes means closing this one. It doesn’t erase what was built. Sparky’s will always be one of my greatest achievements, shaped by love, hard work, and a community that showed up for us again and again.
To every customer and friend who trusted us with your mornings, your lunch breaks, your celebrations, and your hard days, thank you. Don’t be sad it’s ending; be grateful it was ever ours to share.
With love and deep gratitude,
Austen
PS: Know anyone looking for restaurant furniture and equipment? Please send them my way!
