Page A6 Berthoud Weekly Surveyor November 22, 2012

AND TECHNOLOGY

Wishful Living opens to oohs and awe

By Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer The Surveyor Do you want to travel to Indonesia? Turkey? South America? A new store in Berthoud will give you a taste of all of these places and you wont have to board a plane. Wishful Living has downtown buzzing with excitement. The store shares a building with City Star Brewing. Owners Rudi and Dan Taylor have a lifetime of travel under their belts and they are bringing this love to customers in Berthoud and beyond. Wishful Living is a culmination of a years worth of work on the building that formerly housed Deans Furniture and was built in 1915 as a livery. It was important to both Rudi and Dan that the faade stayed true to the original time period in which the building was erected, so they traveled around Colorado examining and taking photographs of other structures from the same era. The restoration and construction of the building was a huge undertaking. They gutted the interior and excavated the floor, putting in a new foundation and creating a custom space for the brewery and Wishful Living. In an ode to the buildings past, they painted the front room, or the store, the same blue that covered the walls of the Highway Caf, once located under the same roof. I would describe Wishful Living as an eclectic home dcor store, said Rudi. But theres also jewelry, scarves, cards, folk art, quilts, furniture, and even a garden area. So its hard to sum it up in just a few words. Much of the stores inventory has been imported directly by the Taylors, who have connections with artisans around the world. Twenty-five years ago they opened a store in Estes Park and began importing items. At the same time they started a wholesale company with accounts all over the country. After 10 years, they sold the Estes Park store and concentrated on Happy Mango Beads, a business they still operate in a space behind their new Berthoud store. As the Taylors traveled the world for their bead business, they would find furniture items and other interesting piece that they wanted to bring back and sell in the United States. Occasionally theyd make a purchase and send the items back to their Berthoud, Colo., home. Thats really how this store came about, said Rudi. Many of the items for sale at Wishful Living cant be found anywhere else in Colorado, and some pieces are likely unavailable anywhere in the United States because artisans are creating specific things just for the Taylors. Everything in the store has been handpicked by the couple and each piece has a story; this adds a special significance to gifts or personal items purchased at Wishful Living. For example, the store carries copal incense, used originally by the Mayan people of Guatemala for ceremonial purposes. These handmade puckshaped pieces of incense burn slowly and are even used by some Catholic churches. Many items in the store, such as beaded jewelry, are made by co-ops. Another unique offering at Wishful Living are boxes made from cloves. The artisan, located in Indonesia, pierces each end of the clove with a needle and stitches them together into aromatic boxes that appear like tiny woven baskets. The walls of Wishful Living are covered in art, including wall hangings from Turkey. Customers will also find Rudis own photography that captures inspirational travel scenes from the Taylors jaunts around the globe. Prices at Wishful Living range from $1.50 bracelets to antiques that sell for thousands of dollars. While some of the pieces have been collected here in the

Dan and Rudi Taylor are the proud owners of Wishful Living at 321 Mountain Ave.

Photo by Becky Justice-Hemmann

United States, more than 12 countries are represented in the stores collection. I want anyone who comes in to be able to purchase something, said Rudi. Wishful Living opened last week, but the official grand opening is scheduled for the first weekend in December. successful opportunities around Northern Colorado the past years, Cooks home and heart have always remained in Berthoud, and recently his attention has turned back toward the community he loves so much. Cooks devotion to the town is unquestionable when his history is reviewed. He was a founding father of Berthouds Habitat for Humanity, raised two children here, and was Chamber of Commerce president. Cook fondly states People care for one another here, its the same type of place it used to be, its still that place. Of his office staff at Cottage Realty, Cook is the only one not born and raised in Berthoud. His passion and fondness for the city is evident in so many ways and as he states Theres nothing that would take me away from here. Well, almost nothing.
example, anyone who prefers local organic milk and ceramic glasses can add that to their package. For events such as Christmas in Berthoud, the drinks will be sold by the cup. We have lots of connections with Berthoud from church ties to Ashlyn being the former Mrs. Berthoud and owner of Cornerstone Chiropractic.

Store hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., although through Christmas they will have extended hours. Wishful Living is located at 321 Mountain Ave. and can be reached at 970-532-2546. Cook works hard, but he also plays hard and to play hell temporarily leave Berthoud. Skiing and hiking are a few of the pastimes he enjoys, but his inward adrenaline junkie is obvious when he also mentions that he has parachuted from an airplane and bungee jumped as well. Berthoud is more than home to Kevin Cook. And although the business of life might have momentarily diverted him, as Cook states Ive come back home. Enthusiastic about the towns leadership, the direction of the economy and the future, Cook is encouraged and hopeful. Cook feels blessed to be in a place like Berthoud and Berthoud is lucky to have him. Cook can be reached at Cottage Realty. 908 Mountain Ave., 970-5322695.
Ive been involved with the Lighthouse Caf, Grace Place and other Berthoud businesses so were excited to be involved with Christmas in Berthoud, said Stacy. For more information or to book Coffee Clatch for your upcoming event, visit www.thecoffeeclatch.com, call 970599-1359 or e-mail info@thecoffeeclatch.

Coming Home
By Eli Hopkins The Surveyor Kevin Cook first came to Berthoud in the mid-1970s, fell immediately in love with it and hopes to be here until his last breath. Originally from the East Coast, Cook heard his uncle praise the beauty of Colorado after a vacation. He told Cook, If I was a young man, Id live on the Front Range. Cook took this to heart. A short time later after exploring several

until about eight in the evening says Front Range cities, even reaching Fort Cook. Collins and turning back south, he As the recession of the 80s ended, planted roots in Berthoud. he then turned his In 1977 Cook and attention full time to a business partner the selling of homes started building and property. custom homes west For years he of Berthoud. focused specifically Although hes on selling Berthoud currently known as real estate. As a successful realtor, his business grew Cook actually he was forced to began as a talented spread his focus carpenter. It wasnt to Loveland, until 1979 that he Wellington, Greeley became licensed and Longmont. in real estate and In July of 2001 balanced the two he sold 31 homes in jobs. 31 days in Eaton, an Id build from amazing feat for any six in the morning realtor and one that until lunch, then Id Cook is proud of. drive home, shower Kevin Cook Even with many and become a realtor
and wanted to sell her equipment. Ashlyn and Stacy took the opportunity and bought the coffee cart and equipment. They are now ready to serve specialty coffees for any kind of event imaginable from weddings to office meetings to fundraisers. Our first event was at the beginning of September and we recently had our grand opening so were open for business, said Stacy. We have two public events coming up that were excited about both on December 1 for Christmas in Berthoud. We will be serving our specialty coffee menu in the morning from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Berthoud Elementary for the Make and Take Kids Craft Fair. We will also be serving that evening at L&M for the bonfire. Well have hot drinks available so you can stay warm. Each cup of specialty coffee is made with locally roasted beans from the 3 Coffee and Roastery located in Milliken. The exceptional coffee blends are roasted three days prior to any event that the Coffee Clatch will be serving. This way the coffee is fresh and delicious for each order and even better is the fact the coffee is ethically traded. Ethically traded is similar to fair trade, but the difference is that 3 Coffee buys it directly from the grower so you know the story behind each bag of coffee and where it came from, said Stacy. We also use natural flavored syrups which means theres no preservatives, few ingredients and the ingredients all have names that can be pronounced. We also get our Chai from 3rd Street Chai in Boulder. We want to keep everything local and fresh. We offer unique signature drinks such as our lavender white chocolate mocha. For now the friends and business owners plan on staying with coffee but are already looking adding custom menus and pastries. They offer different packages for the number of clients and the amount of time at each event. The packages all include unlimited specialty coffee drinks for the customers and various add-ons available at an upcharge. For
Courtesy photo

Coffee Clatch
By Kathleen Donnelly The Surveyor Stacy Kliner and Ashlyn Bishop always talked about opening their own coffee shop. For the past year the two friends, who met at bible study, discussed their dream. That dream didnt become reality until recently when Ashlyn told Stacy she had an idea that might take them a step closer to their goal. They met up with a woman in Denver who had her own coffee catering company. She had decided to get out of the coffee catering business

Ashlyn Vishop and Stacy Kliner have opened Coffee Clatch , a coffee catering company in Berthoud and are available for events.

Berthoud High School sports events broadcast live on CRNsports.com

Boys Basketball Nov. 28 Mountain View Dec. 12 Longmont Dec. 14 Conifer Dec. 15 Fort Morgan Girls Basketball Dec. 6 Roosevelt Dec. 12 Vista Peak Prep Dec. 14 Faith Christian Dec. 15 Fort Morgan Wrestling TBA All games listed are BHS home games.