Welcome to Dina DiNucci’s wonderful life: Park Place Coffee remains open

Jim Clark / Gresham Outlook Disc golfer Jerry Miller, right, helped spearhead a drive to raise funds for Park Place Coffee when owner Dina DiNucci, left, was ready to close up shop.

Unexpected help keeps cafe owner from closing her heart and doors Park Place Coffee will continue serving the community

Source: The Gresham Outlook, Jan 7, 2011, Updated Jan 11, 2011
By Mara Stine

Dina DiNucci opened her coffee and crepe shop Park Place Coffee in Rockwood four years ago, not only to operate a small business, but to give the community a gathering place.

But as the economy tanked it became harder and harder for DiNucci to stay afloat. She squeaked by every month. Yet as 2011 neared, she wondered if it made sense to invest another $1,000 in her annual business licenses, permit and other yearly expenses, such as payroll service.

“I was wary of whether I wanted to go through another year and risk losing more money,” she said.

So up went the reader board in front of the coffee shop at 1288 S.E. 182nd Ave. (Get Map) just north of Vance Park: “Goodbye Park Place Coffee.”

Saturday, Dec. 18, would be her last day in business.

Instead, in a scene straight out of the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” her customers refused to let her quit.

The local disc golfing community, which plays in the adjacent park, raised $1,200 — more than enough for DiNucci to stay open. Members of Gresham Household of Faith, which meets in the Rockwood Seventh-day Adventist Church just a few blocks away, collected another $250.

As a result, after a two-week closure, DiNucci reopened on Saturday, Jan. 1.

“It was actually like ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’” DiNucci said, adding that she feels just like George Bailey — the compassionate yet frustrated banker played by James Stewart — when the citizens of Bedford Falls rallied to save him and the Building and Loan.

“When you’re closing your business, you get a little bitter,” she said. “You think maybe nobody cared. I was burned out and depressed. I was totally defeated. Now I’m re-energized. I feel like it’s Day One again.”

Just a little help

Ty Baker, founder of the Rockwood Disc Golf Association, sprang into action when DiNucci told him that he’d have to find another place to hold registration for the Rockwood Winter Series.

The disc golf series, held every other Saturday, holds registration in the café so the 100 or so disc golfers can stay warm, dry and get a cup of coffee.

Players also drop in for a beer or a soda pop between rounds at the disc golf courses at Rockwood Central Park and Vance Park, said Jerry Miller, owner of Disc Golf Depot in Southeast Portland.

It’s no secret that Park Place Coffee has struggled. DiNucci had been researching how to turn her café into a nonprofit operated by volunteers. Unfortunately, the process takes years.

Faced with the possibility of the coffee shop closing, Baker hit the pavement. If patrons could raise money for yearly fees, maybe DiNucci could hang on long enough for the economy to recover.

He asked at least 25 local businesses for donations to keep the café open. But the businesses couldn’t afford to donate when they too were struggling.

An idea for a fundraising dinner, in the vein of many local nonprofits, didn’t get off the ground.

Meanwhile, teary-eyed customers came in with hugs for DiNucci.

“She’s such a facet of the community. I felt sunk,” said customer Ray Harrington, a Gresham resident who grew up in Rockwood. “She’s really made this place the hub of the community. It would have been such a shame to see her go.”

Pastor Gregg Harris with Gresham Household of Faith called DiNucci to see how his parishioners could help. With the coffee shop just a few blocks from their place of worship, many drop in for a cup of coffee or a crepe on Sundays. They hated to see it close.

“There is such a wonderful community service vision here,” Harris said. “It’s a place where the kind of things that make for a good neighborhood can happen routinely. We wanted to give her some sense of hope.”

Miracle in a can

So on Saturday, Dec. 18, as disc golfers registered for the winter season, Baker put a collection can on the countertop.

A few disc golfers each put in $100.

A few more offered $50 each.

Others stuffed in $20 bills.

Miller, a man of modest means, offered up what he described as “a considerable sum.” And he doesn’t even like coffee.

“When sign-ups were done, it looked full,” Baker said. “The money was all the way up to the top. I simply shoved it over to her (DiNucci) and said, ‘Here you go. I hope it works for you.’ ”

Call it a Christmas miracle: What was to be a permanent closure became a two-week break filled with a flurry of activity.

Friends laminated tables. Patrons brought by new throw pillows for the couch, along with a tree and a lamp to make the back cozier.

What’s My Sign designed and donated a new sign to make the shop more visible.

A pregnant customer drove by the closed shop, saw people working inside and called to offer to help. When DiNucci turned her down, the woman offered her husband’s cell number with instructions to call him if DiNucci needed a hand.

Another customer, who noticed that DiNucci canceled a newspaper to save money, donated a subscription.

Just this week, a customer donated a new OPEN sign.

Baker has a refrigerator to donate. It will be used for ingredients needed for the sandwiches DiNucci plans to add to the menu.

“It’s just been everyone coming together,” she said while steaming milk for a latte. “Their hearts were in it as much as mine.

“How can you feel more blessed than that?” DiNucci asked. “It’s been the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The reopening has rekindled a spark in DiNucci.

“You have tunnel vision when you’re going under,” she said. “Now I’m seeing more potential.”

For example, instead of closing at 3 p.m., Park Place Coffee will be open Monday night, so customers can watch the Ducks win a national championship on the café’s big screen.

A grand reopening celebration is in the works.