Familiar Face – Staci Pencis

When Staci Pencis walked into the Garden Gate Cafe two years ago to borrow a cane, she had no idea she would be leaving the Café with a job. Pencis' son, Sy, was putting together a costume for Senior Day at Skyline High School, and he needed a cane to complete his outfit. "He had a hospital gown and an adult diaper," Pencis said. "And he needed a cane."

She placed a message on Facebook and soon heard back from Dawn Dunlap, manager of the Cafe, who offered to lend them one. When Pencis came to pick it up, she saw the "Help Wanted" sign on the door. "Fill out an application," Dunlap told her. "You can start Monday."

Pencis, who has many things in her life that she is grateful for, easily admits that her son and her Latvian heritage are at the top of the list. "Pencis," she said, "is a Latvian name. My dad's family was adopted by an American family in 1949. They came over to New York from Latvia on a ship and rode the train all the way to Berthoud, Colorado with my grandfather. Four or five boys-my dad was the youngest at the time. They had to work off the debt from the family as farmers. And then they moved to Colorado Springs."

Later her father's job took him to Kansas City. Soon he had an opportunity to buy Sig's Grocery Store in Dodge City, Kansas, where Pencis was born and raised. She went to elementary and middle school there, and then her family moved to Estes Park. At Estes Park High School she got her first volleyball uniform. "I played volleyball, basketball, track, and swim team. I was very busy."

After graduation from high school, Pencis started her own cleaning business. A bad fall while cleaning made her realize that working without insurance was foolish. "You need insurance. So, I sold my cleaning company and went to work at a gluten-free bakery in Johnstown. Then Covid hit and everybody got laid off during Covid. Then I managed a Subway, but decided I didn't like that very much. So I came here."

When Pencis mentions her son Sy, tears of pride spring to her eyes. "He graduated last year. He decided school wasn't for him. He's installing surveillance cameras with a company in Longmont and he makes pretty good money. But now he's thinking about school. He wants to be a teacher."

Now that she has raised her son, Pencis finds other ways to enjoy life. "I do a lot of gardening in the summer," she said, "to the point where I have all these vegetables and can't even give them away." She also loves to bake, and she is considering taking up painting. "I want to take a painting class. I dream about painting, so I'm thinking I need to maybe try it out."

Pencis also enjoys her job at the Garden Gate Cafe, and though the work can be challenging, she keeps a positive attitude. Over the years she has built relationships with many of her customers, exchanging Christmas cards and birthday gifts. "They're all for the most part awesome people that come into this restaurant. There are some people who come in and say, 'You've always got a smile on your face.' And for the most part I do."

But she also admits that we all have bad days. "We all have that one experience with a person that starts your day off wrong. But you don't know what's going on in their life," she confessed. "Maybe there's a reason why he cut you off in traffic. Something happened. So when I wait on people who may be short-tempered, I take a step back. Because it's not all about me. Maybe they're having a rough day. I try to remember that, and I try to put myself in their shoes. They still want good service and a happy attitude. And for the most part, I try to be happy and have that smile and give them the best service I can. Life is too short. Don't sweat the small stuff."

Pencis said, "I love my job. The people here in Niwot treat you like family. There is a couple who come into the Café, Amy and Gary. Recently I hurt my back. Amy and Gary came in and asked what was wrong. And I said, 'Oh, I hurt my back.' Two hours later she came in with a goodie bag, with Biofreeze and patches. She went out of her way to make me feel better, and we don't even know each other that well. To go out of your way for someone you don't know very well! Everybody in Niwot--it's like a big family."