Lula's was a little coffee shop on the eastern edge of Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, IN. It was an eclectic place. It was a college town coffee shop. It looked like a college artist's dorm room. . . walls painted odd colors with things like Asian room screens spread about the place for spots of privacy. There were older, dingy chairs and couches that looked like they had endured world wars, yet still had lots of life left in them. There were also many tables and chairs, since it was a college town coffee shop.
The best thing about Lula's was THE TABLE. Now, for you to get the idea of THE TABLE, we must go into reminiscing mode for a moment. . .
In my life, there are two or three tables that have left lasting impressions on my life. One of those tables was my grandmother's table. It was massive. It had thick, sturdy legs with bent arches between them. It also had a stout center rail that ran from one side to the other. I don't remember what wood it was made of, though it had a dark red feel. I think it was redwood or something like that. Interestingly, it wasn't your average farmhouse table, which is what you would expect from my grandmother's house--an old 100 year old farmhouse back a mile lane with grand maple trees surrounding it for shade.
Another table from my past was my neighbor's table. When I was 10 or so, an Amish family bought the land across from where I lived and built a house. They were Amish in heritage, though they used vehicles, electricity, and so on. Their table was long and sturdy. It was thick and stout. You could have driven a car onto it and it wouldn't have even flinched. It had bench seats, with two captain's chairs at the end. And, the times that I had dinner there with the Yoder's, it was a family affair where life was talked about and family happened.
The same could be said for the table at my parents house. My parents have an oak table that was made by my great grandfather. Its old. Its weathered and worn. It doesn't fully sit straight with all the leaves in it. But it has history. Much conversation and life has happened around that table. Many hours of cards, food, games, and life.
Those are the things I think about when I think of the table at Lula's It was heavy and stout, like a table you might find in an ancient castle. It was big enough to seat 6 or 8, and it almost always had a group of people around it. I had many great conversations around with friends.
The coffee at Lulas was very good. I don't know the pedigree of their beans, but they always seemed to be from quality places like Latin America and Africa.
Sadly, Lula's closed a few years ago. The owner of the building did not renew their lease. Somewhere in someone's garage sit's Lula's table, dormant from use. May it one day return to its glory as a place of conversation and great coffee!