One last cup o’ Joe for Diedrich regulars

COSTA MESA — Steve Kime spent Monday afternoon the way he had spent so many afternoons in the past — on the patio outside Diedrich Coffee, a steaming cup in front of him and the New American Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other spiritual books stacked on his table.

Kime, who lives in Huntington Beach and writes poetry and theology in his spare time, had come to the original Diedrich on 17th Street for seven years. Monday was the last day the site was in business, but Kime opted to treat it like business as usual.

“I come here almost every day and spend three or four hours reading and writing,” he said. “Yesterday, a lot of the regulars were here and they were all saying, ‘Where are we going to go now?’ ”

For now, the answer may be the other Diedrich on 17th Street or the remaining two sites in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach. Yet, what drew many residents to the original was the shaded outdoor patio — a feature that made this store more than just a place for coffee.

Within a few months, however, the Diedrich logo will be a rare sight in the downtowns of Orange County. In September, the Irvine-based company announced that it was selling most of its company-owned locations to the Starbucks Coffee Co.

Monday, then, marked the small end of an era in Costa Mesa, as regulars stopped by their neighborhood coffee house for one more cup, one more free refill or one more relaxed afternoon on the patio.

“It’s a sad day, believe me,” said June McKinzie, who lives down the street and owns a cabinet business with her husband. “We were here when they started it. To think after all these years, they’re closing.”

McKinzie said that in the past, her husband often conducted business meetings at Diedrich. On Monday, she sat at a table inside with a group of friends and observed the end in style.

“Usually, I drink the tea, but I thought today I’ll celebrate,” she said. “I’ll get the coffee and cry a lot.”

Diedrich Coffee, which opened on 17th Street in 1983, was the brainchild of Martin Diedrich, whose father, Carl, had traveled around the world as a coffee grower. Over the next two decades, the company opened sites around California and spread to Colorado and Texas. The company markets three brands of coffee: Gloria Jean’s, Diedrich and Coffee People.

By selling many of its sites to Starbucks, the company plans to focus its resources on growing and selling coffee beans. Spokeswoman Maya Pogoda said that Starbucks had purchased the leases for many Diedrich locations, but not for the original on 17th Street.

“It’s up to the landlord,” she said about the site’s future.

On Monday, though, for a few remaining hours, all that mattered was the present — and the past. A message to customers on the front door read simply, “Thank you for your patronage.”