north pole's diner just closed

And after sixteen years, everyone in town has a story about this place.

Edward and Ann Richards served up plates at that diner for more than sixteen years. Sunday was the last day anyone could grab a seat before the doors closed for good.

They're retiring and heading out to Delta Junction. It closes out a run that started back in the spring of 2010, back when North Pole looked a whole lot different.

For plenty of us, a diner like that isn't just a place to eat. It's the spot where you run into half the town, grab coffee before work, or catch up with neighbors you haven't seen in a while. Places like that don't come along twice, and this one leaves a real gap on that corner of town.

Edward's keeping the name off the sale since it's his own last name. But he's putting the building on the market for around six hundred sixty thousand dollars, for whoever wants to take it on next.

The North Pole Chamber of Commerce says it's a real loss for the community, calling it the corner where everybody could go. Edward says it feels good knowing people will miss the place, and honestly, that's about as good an ending as a small town diner can get.