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Stone City Caf to close doors

Staff reporter

It's not easy to close the doors and walk away from a business.

It's more than a job — it's your livelihood. It's your blood, sweat, and tears.

It's where Debbie Cook spent 80-100 hours per week for the past 18 1/2 years.

It's Stone City Café at 211 E. Main, Marion, a fixture in the downtown district we all thought would be here forever.

But after May 26, its doors will be closed.

Last of a dying breed, the full-service restaurant served more than pancakes made from scratch, homemade pies, and real french fries.

It was the meeting place for the early morning club — some on their way to a job, others who were retired but were up at 5 a.m. out of habit.

"I'm here at 5 a.m. but don't open until 6," Cook explained. "So those guys know that they can come in but it's serve yourself with coffee until I'm ready to cook at 6."

It was a meeting place for organized clubs — like Kiwanis Club and Lions Club — who met in a back banquet room that could accommodate up to 60 people.

It was the place an early morning men's Bible group gathered to share their faith.

It was THE place for out-of-towners who enjoyed stopping because these types of restaurants are few and far between.

And it was more than a way to make a living for Cook. It was family.

Literally.

Three generations of women, Cook's mother, Donna Boone Avery, and daughter, Tammy Bradford, operated the sit-down diner for years.

"I've been working in restaurants all of my life," Cook said. Since the age of 14, Cook had worked at restaurants in Wichita with her mother, with the exception of five years when Avery decided to try Cessna Aircraft.

How did the duo end up in Marion?

"We used to come fishing here every weekend, fell in love with the area, and moved here, and we haven't been fishing since," Cook said with a laugh.

Cook and her mother bought the downtown restaurant in 1988, and have worked side-by-side ever since.

The mother-daughter team spent nearly every waking hour together. When the restaurant first started, it was open six days a week which became too much. The business partners then cut back their hours which gave the pair some extra time away from the rat race.

When Avery decided to retire 18 months ago, a big party was thrown at the restaurant. Avery arrived in a limousine, drinking champagne. It was a joyous celebration.

Even though the matriarch retired, Cook knew she could call on her mother to fill in when a waitress phoned in sick or some other emergency arose.

Unfortunately, Avery's retirement was less joyous when the cancer she had been fighting for many years, took over. Cook still called her mother on a daily basis just to share her day, frustrations, and love.

When Avery died April 20, Cook's world changed forever. The restaurant was closed for 10 days.

"That was the same amount of time we closed when Richard (Boone, Avery's first husband) died," Cook said.

But for Cook, it has been just too difficult.

"It was hard to come back to work. I could always call her and now she's gone and there's nobody to call," Cook said. "It's just too soon yet."

This mother-daughter bond that continues even after death may be difficult for some to understand; except this was more than a typical relationship. They were business partners, confidants, and best friends. One would call on the other for support and, sometimes, just to complain.

"Some people have said, 'All you two did was yell at each other and fight.' We did but that was how our relationship was," Cook said.

Cook is looking forward to punching a time clock and going home after an eight-hour shift.

There is a potential buyer interested in the restaurant and Cook hopes it sells.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll be the breakfast cook for them." she said.

Cook's husband, Rick, drives for Countryside Feed of Hillsboro. Daughter Tammy, of Marion, has not yet decided which direction she will take.

During the years on Main Street, Cook has seen a lot of restaurants come and go.

"We suffer when a new restaurant opens but the competition makes us work harder," she said.

A strong proponent of competition, Cook said she wishes there were at least two choices for each type of business in town to give people more choices and keep business owners on their toes.

Her loyal following was more than customers to her, they were friends.

"I'm going to miss them," she said, with a tear in her eye.

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