CARBONDALE, Pa. — Coffee lovers say the Burning Bush Cafe has been a blessing for downtown Carbondale.
"I'm always here with my friends, my sister, so it's really sad to see it close. It's always a really nice place to come in town," Brooke Bilski said.
So, the faithful flocked to Main Street for the shop's final day of business.
"It's like a stop. You're in a hurry, you want a coffee, you want a doughnut, you want a sandwich? There they are—ready, willing, and able. It's very reasonable, and it's absolutely delicious," Martha Demmer said.
The owner of the car-wash-turned-coffee shop says they're being forced to close because the owner of the building is selling.
Burning Bush Café has only been open for a little more than a year but has already built a fan base in the Pioneer City.
"I'm always looking for that place that isn't a chain place to go," Heather Pearsall said. "Chains are good for what they are, but these places like this, they serve their purpose. You want something different; you want something unique. You know, when you take that first sip, it's a good cup of coffee, and it's a good cup of coffee!"
The coffee is part of what makes this place unique. Burning Bush gets its beans from the monks at St. Tikhon's Monastery near Waymart, where there's a roasting operation.
The monks will still sell their coffee beans online and at the monastery while Burning Bush looks for some divine intervention.
"When we sat down, we prayed over the meal, and I prayed for that they find a place where they can land on their feet," Pearsall said.
The owner hopes that prayer is answered soon and the shop can reopen in a new location in Carbondale.