In today’s blog, a Fort Collins coffeehouse’s customers refuse to let it close and Illy offers you a special deal on their espresso makers

Like many coffeehouses affected by the recession, Catalyst coffee in Fort Collins was ready to close their doors at the beginning of the year.

“I didn’t see a way out of it,” owner Fade Wall told CBS 4 in Denver. “I just didn’t see, from my experience, that there were options to keep us afloat.”

Wall closed the shop for 10 days back in January, but upon hearing the closure would be permanent, customers rushed to do what they could to save the shop. Wall said some would come in two and three times a day and buy more coffee than they normally would.

The staff put out a bucket for donations and the customers responded by putting in cash and even checks for hundreds of dollars. All told, the donations helped raise $3,500 to help pay back taxes and keep the café’s doors open.

Wall’s customers and friends also helped her secure a loan and talk with her vendors and landlord about adjusting the shop’s payments. She says she’s confident the experience has helped put her in a place to make sure the prospect of closure doesn’t come up again.

“We’re still here and we’re hopeful,” Wall said. “I am more hopeful about my business than I have been for a year, to be honest.”

Customers the television station interviewed said they felt compelled to help out because the shop is different and feels like a family. That’s the kind of thing you hate to lose in any community.

Something to look forward to on Tax Day

Illy Espresso is hoping to make April 15th a date to remember not just because it’s tax day. The company will offer their new pod machine, the Francis Francis x8 iperEspresso, for just $150 on tax day.

Illy is advertising the move as a “stimulus package that will give back for years to come.” Customers who purchase the machine, which regularly retails for $445, are encouraged to enroll in Illy’s pod delivery program. According to the company’s website, the machine’s “patented two-stage extraction (produces) an extraordinarily smooth, full-bodied and intensely aromatic espresso topped with velvety, long-lasting crema.”

If you’re looking for a deal, but you’re gun shy about trusting your morning espresso to a pod machine, Illy offers a 30-day risk free trial. The Italian company specializes in espresso, espresso machines, and barista training.

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