09/03/2026
💫Last night, Stacy and I joined a couple hundred others packed into our tiny Niwot Hall. People were sitting in the windowsills, hanging out of the windows and pressed against the glass. The kitchen was three people deep, and outside every door, people stood four or five people just trying to hear.
It brought me to tears.
In the 19 years I’ve worked at the Niwot Tavern, I have watched people and businesses come and go—but I have also watched the heart of this community remain. When something truly matters, Niwot shows up.
When Stacy and I bought the Tavern in January 2020, we had a kitchen fire one month later. The following month, COVID shut everything down. We survived through 18 months of takeout because this community showed up for us. You understood what we were facing, and you made a conscious decision to help your local businesses survive. We will never forget that.
We still see that same heart all the time. For almost a year, the community food pantry in front of the Tavern has continued to be filled and maintained by people quietly helping their neighbors. Every Christmas, when we ask for donations for our Christmas Day homeless outreach, we are humbled by how generously this community responds.
Last night, I watched Niwot show up again.
This is not a post telling anyone how to vote. Business owners who do not live within Niwot’s proposed boundaries do not get a vote—even though the outcome will directly affect every business and everyone in this town. All we can do is listen, ask questions, learn as much as possible and encourage everyone who does have a vote to make an informed decision.
What I saw last night was a room overflowing with people who care deeply about this place. People walked away feeling more informed, more empowered and more prepared to make an enormously important decision for their community.
No matter what Niwot ultimately chooses, we are incredibly proud to own a business here. We know how much this town means to the people who call it home—because it means that much to us, too.
We look forward to serving this community for many more years to come—whether one day we officially have a mayor, or Bert remains our unofficial mayor forever. ❤️
Tara Shaheen
(Photo by Niwot Hall)