Old Town Lompoc, home of the coffee grinder

For years on end -- it turns out to be over seven -- I intended to return to this independent coffee shop in Old Town Lompoc where I bought the hand-cranking coffee grinder that I still use to this day. What remained lodged in my memory was that they had the best selection of hand-cranking coffee grinders I've ever seen. Yesterday I went there with Ted. The Old Town was steeped in a benevolent time warp. The buildings were aging and taking on character like a fine wine. There were murals everywhere. But the interior of South Side Coffee was different. The grinders were gone, and instead the same shelves had a few teapots. The guy at the counter confirmed that they did have a fine selection of grinders (I wasn't imagining it), and that they could some day return if the demand was there. The other major change from July 2001 seemed to be a wall separating the coffee shop from the adjacent independent book store. It was fascinating to superimpose a seven-year-old memory on what I saw. I'm glad this place is still in business.