Page 8 October 16, 2014 TORRANCE TRIBUNE By TerriAnn Ferren Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Was this the end of an era? Carolyn Chun, Senior Planning Associate for the city of Torrance, informed me that Buffy’s, a coffee shop located at 1319 El Prado Avenue in downtown Torrance, would be closing and was having a farewell party on Monday, September 30, after 29 years at its current location. Carolyn told me that Buffy’s was one of the businesses that had to be relocated in 1993 to make way for the Historic Downtown Project and was relocated with the Redevelopment Agency’s assistance. Could this be true? Buffy’s is the place I remember Claire Stetson always wanted to meet for breakfast. It was a close walk from her house on El Prado down to Buffy’s and she liked the old-town feel of the place. When her daughter, my friend Kathryn, came to town to visit from Texas, Claire invariably would march everyone down to Buffy’s for breakfast. Sitting in the pink overstuffed booths reminded me of old time diners and the menu reflected the ambience of the place. Buffy’s was the kind of diner you didn’t have to dress up for and you always felt welcome. Everyone seemed to know Claire. Great breakfasts are what I remember ordering mostly at Buffy’s. Big colorful plates piled high with comfort favorites, where it was best to check your calorie counter at the door. Breakfast burritos, waffles and pancakes were listed along with eggs, potatoes, bacon and sausage. Because this was the last day of operation for Buffy’s, I figured there would be hundreds of chatty people filling the homey diner. What I found when I walked in on that last day was a somber group. They all seemed to have come to terms with the closing of their special place and were lovingly letting it drift away. Sitting at the first table on the right as I walked into Buffy’s were William and Maureen Kaneen. They were finishing up their meal as I approached them and asked them about their memories of Buffy’s. They told me they have been frequenting Buffy’s for about fifteen years. “We started coming when we retired. The food is good but the people are wonderful. They know all their customers by name. Lisa [the owner] is an incredibly kind person and has served her community. She has served food on holidays to the people who live in the senior center who have no families. She comes in at four in the morning and cooks and then brings the dinners to them,” said Maureen. William added, “We are going to miss it. It’s kind of like a gathering place sometimes and we run into a lot of other retirees here, and get to see folks.” Maureen went on to tell me that, “Buffy’s gave downtown Torrance a small town atmosphere - absolutely true.” Behind William and Maureen sat Michael and Roslyn Harris and Jordan, age 5, who was enjoying tacos and salad. Michael told me he and Roslyn have been coming to Buffy’s for about 20 years. “I am going to miss it very, very much. Lisa and I became friends and we would talk all the time. When I worked at yearround school, I would come here every single day and we built up a real good friendship. Now that she’s closing, I don’t know where I am gonna go eat. So many of these people I’ve made friends with. I don’t know what I am gonna do. She is a wonderful person; I always loved her artwork and everything – a one of a kind. When I first started teaching there was a Gary and Allen’s right around the corner and I used to go and buy a lot of my jewelry at Gary and Allen’s and now they’re gone. It’s really sad. This is a very, very unique area,” said Roslyn. Joseph Milidan and Teri and Tom Noyes were cozily sitting together across the table from Tony Morales toward the back of the diner. Tony immediately shared, “I’ve been with Lisa since ’95 - not here, but the other one.” Joseph told me he has been frequenting Buffy’s for 10 years. Tom agreed and said they usually order breakfast. “One out of three days, we have breakfast here and I have the Almond Crusted French toast. It is my treat for the week,” said Teri. “Ortega chili cheese omelet – that is what I look forward to and splurge on,” added Tom. See what I mean about the comfort food element? Teri told me she would be coming back for breakfast and then coming for lunch on the very last day. Then Tom said that a lot of the people who meet at Buffy’s have old cars, “I have an old truck - a ’37 Chevy pick-up.” Teri added, “We are restoring a ’37 El Camino right now. He has a little hot rod.” The couple told me that is what brought them all together and they have a little car club that grew out of their friendships and common interests. Teri told me sometimes she would ask Lisa to bring her whatever she thought she would like to eat, and Lisa would do it. “And if somebody had high cholesterol or something, she [Lisa] would say, ‘No, you can’t have that.’ And she would bring them something else to eat.” The owner of Buffy’s, Lisa Lee, takes care of her customers with the love of someone who cares. Lisa was easy to spot as she rushed around the restaurant talking to her customers, running back and forth to the kitchen and making sure everyone had what they wanted. My guess was that this was nothing special, but the way Lisa has run her business for 29 years. Lisa Lee has owned Buffy’s since 1985, for 29 years. She took time to speak with me about her restaurant. “I do a lot of things and have a lot of compassion for people and this is my first job that I have a lot of families. I was a budget analyst and I was waitressing, but I only waitress part time. When I first came, they looked at me like a young woman - and asked me if I knew what I was doing. The first time I burned my hand with bacon grease – people brought me ointment for my burn…how many nurses do I have? Everyone was taking care of me. After that, it went on and many more families and many more years. Even when I was so tired, I worked every day, every day, every day. It was rewarding. It was tiring running a restaurant by myself. You have to be here to make things work,” said Lisa. She went on to tell me that even when she took vacation time off she found it difficult not to think about her restaurant. Lisa lives in Torrance about three minutes’ drive from her restaurant, or a fifteen-minute walk. She told me she used to walk to work during the gasoline crunch. “I had comfortable shoes and it wasn’t too bad,” said Lisa. But walking to work didn’t last too long because walking home in the dark late wasn’t her favorite thing to do so she went back to commuting by car. “I love this town. I could tell you everything about this town from the time we had Buffy’s in the older place on March 15, 1992. We had our grand opening, and then the city of Torrance built this restaurant for us. They relocated us from across the street and it has been 23 years on this side of the street. I want to pursue other things. I want to have a boutique. I found out that I love that. It’s amazing when you choose something that you like and other people have the same common idea and they purchase from you. It’s rewarding, it’s fun,” said Lisa. I asked Lisa if she would locate her boutique in downtown Torrance and she said that she wants to be close to home and she loves her community. “It is so safe here and it is wonderful,” said Lisa. Claudia Setka, along with her two children Anthony, age 3, and Alyssa, age 7, were enjoying the food and fun at Buffy’s. Claudia told me, “My mother-in-law works here, and we have been coming in for at least ten years.” I asked Anthony what his favorite thing to eat at Buffy’s was and he said emphatically, “Crackers.” Alyssa, on the other hand told me, “Quesadillas.” The two children told me that they like to help out at the restaurant when they come visiting their grandmother. “My grandma is really adorable,” blurted out 3-year-old Anthony. The honesty with which this little one spontaneously expressed the love for his grandmother was priceless. Leaving the art deco appointed Buffy’s was saying goodbye to a bit of downtown Torrance that will never be again. When the Redevelopment Agency helped Buffy’s relocate, it boosted downtown Torrance and threw a lifeline to the little diner. True, Buffy’s was beginning to show its age and it wasn’t as popular as it had once been, but it was part of downtown Torrance. Now, that oldfashioned meeting place has succumbed to the slick eateries and fast food establishments of the day. Change is definite but sometimes bittersweet. The goodbye to Buffy’s Coffee Shop is bittersweet. • TerriAnn in Torrance Bye Bye Buffy’s Lisa Lee, owner of Buffy’s Joseph Milidan and Teri and Tom Noyes. Buffy’s at its last location on El Prado Avenue. Claudia Setka with her two children Anthony, age 3 and Alyssa, age 7. Michael and Roslyn Harris and Jordan, age 5.
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