08/26/2026
As many of you may or may not know, City Watch Coffee has been closed for several days due to a family emergency.
As much as I have always wanted to keep our personal lives private, City Watch Coffee has grown into so much more than a business. It has become part of your daily lives, and a part of this community. With some changes coming in the near future, I feel that our loyal customers deserve to understand the “why” behind them.
My husband, Ratha, who many of you built relationships with and grew bonds with, has been detained and will be sent to Cambodia due to his immigration status.
Before anyone makes assumptions or passes judgment, I want to make something very clear:
Ratha did not enter this country illegally. He was not smuggled in, nor did he sneak across the border. His family came to the United States legally through family sponsorship many years ago.
Ratha came here as a child, around one year old. In fact, he has never even set foot in Cambodia. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand after his family fled the war.
Like many young people, Ratha made some poor decisions when he was a teenager and very young adult. Those decisions were more than 20 years ago, and as a result, his immigration status was revoked.
But that is not the person he became.
Over the past 20+ years, Ratha grew, changed, and dedicated himself to becoming a better person. He built a family, worked hard, gave back to the community, and became an entrepreneur. Together, we built City Watch Coffee with our hearts, bodies, and our souls. It is our baby. It is our dream.
Now, as his wife and the other owner of City Watch Coffee, I have some very difficult decisions to make about what comes next.
Starting Monday, August 31, 2026, City Watch Coffee Cleona will be temporarily closed.
Our Lebanon location will remain open until further notice, so please continue to support us there and get your coffee fix with us.
In the near future, City Watch Coffee will also be up for sale. If you have ever dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur or owning a coffee shop, this is an opportunity to take over something that has already been established and built with an incredible amount of love, hard work, and dedication.
As much as I want to be angry and hateful about everything that has happened, I can't let that consume me. We have to continue to be a positive example for our older sons and young daughters. Instead, we will focus on building a new life for ourselves, our newborn, and our three-year-old daughter as we plan to relocate to Cambodia so that we can be together as a family.
For now, I ask that you please continue to support City Watch Coffee Cleona through the end of August. And please continue to support the Stuff the Truck and 422 Cruise School Fundraiser that were organized before all of this happened. They are both for great causes, and we want to see them continue to succeed.
And most importantly, please continue supporting our Lebanon location, where we will still be here serving your favorite coffee and doing our best to keep City Watch Coffee going.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your understanding, compassion, loyalty, and for loving City Watch Coffee as much as we do.
This community has meant more to our family than you will ever know. ❤️☕
