After three years of unexpected challenges, College Drive Cafe is leaving the “drive” behind.
Owners Aaron Seitz and Leah Evers are preparing to start a new chapter for the long-standing local eatery, which will move from 666 E. College Drive to 128 E. Ninth St. and drop the “drive” from the name to become simply College Cafe.
The new space was previously occupied by Reign Salon.
Evers and Seitz began searching for a new location three years ago after the death of the building’s owner. The space had a lack of maintenance and it was time to go, they said. The restaurant was placed on a month-to-month lease after the building was put up for sale.
It took them around a year to find a new space and finalize the lease, but the two believe it was well worth the wait.
“It’s got a good feeling to it, it really does,” Evers said. “I’m excited that it’s a little brighter.”
Even in the middle of winter, light streams into the new dining area through large bay windows, and the classic dark wood interior of the old building has been exchanged for brick.
“We moved from the wood building to the brick building, kind of like in the three little pigs,” Evers said.
The new location is a big change, but Evers and Seitz plan on preserving the original restaurant’s character by bringing the maps that sit on the tables and continuing to showcase local artwork.
“People were really worried about the maps,” Seitz said.
Despite the familiar decor, the relocation will also bring about several changes. Chief among them, College Cafe will serve alcohol and offer grab-and-go options.
Reaching this point in the transition has been a lengthy process.
“It’s been a comedy of obstacles,” Seitz said.
Juggling the task of keeping a restaurant open while attempting to hurdle bureaucratic roadblocks, construction delays and life in general has extended the project’s timeline much longer than originally anticipated.
“He was originally hoping to open on Thanksgiving,” Evers said, while gesturing to Seitz. Both of them seemed to find this notion laughable in hindsight.
They are now hoping to open in February, but said that they would not be surprised if it ended up taking longer.
“We’ll scream and yell about it real loud when it happens,” Seitz said.
jbowman@durangoherald.com