Left Hand Laurel: Tara Kpogoh-Narh and Stacy Szydlek

From its shady locale in Cottonwood Square, the Niwot Tavern has been a popular local gathering spot for more than a decade-and-a-half, so when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic threw the lives of local residents into chaos, co-owners and longtime bartenders Tara Kpogoh-Narh and Stacy Szydlek quickly shifted their mission from helping local residents unwind to helping them get through a global health emergency.

"It was the kids, when the schools shut down," Kpogoh-Narh said, explaining why she and Szydlek started an emergency food pantry in the early days of the quarantine. "But it turned into a lot more than that. People were then all out of work, so it turned into local people who needed it."

"It wasn't even really an idea," Szydlek added. "It was just like, 'Okay, we have to do this. All of these people are going to have to eat.' We're both the nicest mean people you'll ever meet. We really just had this overwhelming desire to do something, and we still do. It's just heartbreaking to us."

On March 12, St. Vrain and Boulder Valley schools announced an emergency closure due to the rapid spread of coronavirus, abruptly suspending free and reduced lunch services for thousands of students. On March 13, Kpogoh-Narh and Szydlek took to the Tavern's Facebook page to proclaim "IT TAKES A VILLAGE!" and offered to assist families now in need of meals and also serve as a donation station for others in a position to help. The idea took off, and the stock of food in the Tavern's now-quiet hostess station rapidly grew and grew.

"People just came out of the woodwork," Szyldek said. "One guy doesn't even eat here, he just brings food for that."

For those on the other side of the equation, Kpogoh-Narh and Szydlek had a 'no questions asked' policy and many local families took advantage, some on a repeat basis. Many also offered items in trade, thankful to find items in the pantry not available at local grocery stores.

"It was just, 'if you need it take it,' or trade something," Kpogoh-Narh said.

"Or when things were missing," Szydlek added. "Like, we had rice, which was kind of a hot commodity."

"If you can't find beans at the store, well, we've got beans," Kpogoh-Narh said. "Bring something else and pick up some beans. So that's what it turned into. It really evolved."

Kpogoh-Narh, Szydlek and the Tavern staff have also quietly been providing free meals to their fellow essential workers in Niwot and elsewhere. So far, Kpogoh-Narh said, they have served about 10 locations, including an overlooked sector of the healthcare community.

"We fed all the employees at the [Niwot] Market, the Bank of Estes Park, the women's shelters, and the night nurses at Longmont United Hospital," Kpogoh-Narh said.

"The night nurses never get food," Szyldek said, laughing. "They were so stoked. They said, 'We never get anything'."

On May 23, the two also hosted a"virtual" fundraiser spearheaded by Deborah Read Fowler for the Boulder Symphony Orchestra and Community Food Share. Featuring a music-themed menu and an invitation to an exclusive Zoom dinner chat, the Take Out Family Dinner event sold out quickly, and raised more than $3,000 to be split between the beneficiaries.

"It was a huge turnout, and it was so much fun," Kpogoh-Narh said.

For longtime Niwot resident and the third Tavern co-owner Tony Santelli, watching Kpogoh-Narh and Szydlek reach out to their community in its time of need has been "inspirational." Though both have been with the Tavern for years, it was just about six months ago, in a pre-pandemic January 2020, when they purchased their shares and joined the world of small business ownership, which is fraught with uncertainty even under the best of circumstances.

"You don't expect that when you buy a business," he said. "It's hard even in normal times to make it work. So to buy it in January, and to have the sky fall in March, which is what happened in the pandemic, would be daunting for most people. But Tara and Stacy have somehow managed to thrive in that environment. Because they had to. They had to reach down deep and find out, 'Okay, now what do we do?'"

For Kpogoh-Narh and Szydlek, the answer was to adapt to the changing conditions and carry on. Or, rather, carry out. When restaurants closed to in-person dining on March 17, the two were forced to lay off their serving staff, but were able to retain the kitchen staff and launch a takeout service, which has proved resilient.

"We're shocked it's lasted this long," Szydlek said. "We've been steady across the board the entire time. We figured it would drop off when the other restaurants opened, but not really at all."

Indeed, their takeout sales are steady enough that the pair aren't quite ready to join their peers in welcoming back in-person diners, especially under the capacity restrictions that went into effect in late May. They also still harbor concerns about the lingering health risks to staff and other customers.

"As long as we're staying above water, as long as the numbers say it's ok, this is what we'll do," Szydlek said. "Once the numbers change, we'll have to adapt. But the minute that we open, our fixed costs go up so much, I don't know that we would be able to stay above water."

To be sure, it's not a decision that brings them any happiness. Both said they dearly miss the "buzz of people around," not to mention the camaraderie with co-workers and regular customers.

"I've gone to a couple of restaurants just to experience it and see what it's like, because I need to know,"

Szydlek said. "And the whole experience of a restaurant is just not there. It's very business-like, if they're adhering to the rules."

"It's just transactional, which we don't want to do," Kpogoh-Narh said.

"We've never been about that," Szydlek said. "It's always been about our people and our personalities. That's what people always come here for. The whole hilariousness of it."

Unfortunately, the hilariousness will have to wait just a little longer. With so much still unknown about next few months, they haven't set a target date to reopen, but hope it's in time to celebrate Kpogoh-Narh's birthday in October. But whenever it ends up being, Kpogoh-Narh knows that Niwot Tavern and its staff will be ready.

"Failure's not an option. It's really not. We're on a rocket, and it's going to take off at some point, but now it's just idling. So we're slow and steady this year. As long as we can keep our head above water, we're going to rock it next year."