The wooden coffee shop chairs and eclectic furniture have been replaced.
And the coffee bean gunnysack curtains also are gone.
But the coffee bar at La Dolce Vita still operates, now with some new equipment, furniture, carpeting and two new owners.
About three months after the June death of coffee shop owner Doug Ostrander, Don and Linda Carver stepped in and bought the store — and possibly saved it from shutting down.
“Like everyone else in town, we wanted to keep it going,” Don Carver said.
“It’s not (a situation) where I was looking for a coffee shop.”
Since they bought the place on Aug. 1, the couple — natives of Arvada who now live in Golden — have spent more than $50,000 on renovation work, they said.
And the two still have to upgrade and remodel the bathrooms to be in compliance with city codes and buy a new furnace — an estimated $4,100 cost.
“It needed to be upgraded,” he said. “We’re trying to keep things the same but make changes necessary.”
Needed renovations
The two refurbished the wood bar, floors and kitchen as well as replaced some equipment and furniture.
All the work forced the store to close for about eight days, they said.
The tables are still the same.
And the sign above the bar still has the same colorful menu from before.
A side room will be more of a meeting room and is slated for some new furniture.
For artwork, the owners plan on working with artists from the community and feature one per month.
“We’ve had a lot of people asking,” he said.
There is still live music on the weekends.
And the business now offers more sandwiches and desserts, including family recipes of coffee cake and cheesecake. They are trying to display them more.
Their orders to suppliers have doubled, and he said they typically sell out.
And while former owner Ostrander said the business was not always booming, the store seems to be getting a boost because of the new Olde Town library that opened this month.
So far, it seems to have increased the store’s business.
“(We have) lot of moms and kids from the library,” she said.
Learning curve
Don Carver got involved with the coffee shop after Ostrander died in late June.
Ostrander, 43-year-old Arvada native, had worked behind the coffee shop’s counter for 11 years.
He bought the place more than eight years ago and was involved with the Olde Town community.
Carver, who has known the Ostrander family most of his life, was talking with Ostrander’s mother, Gay Ostrander, when he decided to buy the business and keep it going, he said.
The store has a loyal following, and several customers having told the couple they are happy to have it open, he said.
“People really liked Doug,” he said.
The coffee shop is the first time the couple have owned a retail business. So, in just a few months, they have both learned about everything from costs, pricing and scheduling issues to how to make a mean espresso.
The “new” work comes on top of running their other business, nearby-Carver and Associates Insurance.
Linda Carver works at La Dolce Vita three days a week, and Don Carver is there two days.
So far, they are both averaging about 70 to 80 hours a week between their two jobs.
“But I don’t expect that to continue,” he said.
In the meantime, Linda Carver does n’t seem to mind; she enjoys the new business.
“It’s kind of like entertaining the city of Arvada in your living room,” she said.
Neda Raouf is the Business Editor. She can be reached at 303-279-5541, ext. 244.