Cinnamon rolls may live on after close of Carol's

DEMING, Whatcom County -- For 27 years, hikers in search of sublime views from Mount Baker have fueled up at Carol's Coffee Cup.

Now, Carol's is closing, effective Jan. 28.

"We're getting a lot of groans," said Kathy Hillard, who owns the eatery with her husband, Denny. "We've even had people cry, literally in tears. It's been tough."

The 42-seat restaurant has become a favorite among locals and tourists who like to stop there for a home-cooked meal before spending a day in the woods.

"It's mom's cooking on the way up to the mountain," said Zachary Krebs, who has family in Bellingham and always stops at Carol's when he visits them.

Krebs' parents, who were celebrating birthdays at the restaurant, were also disappointed by the news.

"It'll be one more thing we don't get to do anymore," said Linda Krebs.

Hillard, who has arisen at 2 a.m. several times a week since her parents bought the restaurant in 1973, said the early mornings are taking their toll.

"Twenty-seven years of doing the same thing is enough," she said. "I just want to do something else while I still have the energy."

Once she closes the restaurant, Hillard plans to join her sister's business, Baker Girls Catering, which will be renamed Carol's Girls Catering.

Hillard and her sister, Suzie O'Connor, plan to use the restaurant's kitchen as a base for outside-catering jobs and hope to one day use it to cater banquets and meetings.

They also hope to keep serving the restaurant's highly praised cinnamon rolls.

While she's excited about the new business, Hillard said she didn't think closing the restaurant would be so hard.

Many employees are either family members or have become like family, she said.

The restaurant has 22 part-time employees. Among them are her mother--the restaurant's namesake, Carol Vander Yacht--and her daughter, Kari Granacki. Both will help out with the catering business.

Some customers say they'll miss the friendly service and atmosphere of the restaurant.

"A lot of what you go to a place for is the atmosphere," said John Reid, an 87-year-old retired school principal and administrator. "A lot of places, the help is all right, but they're indifferent. They give you your food and that's it."

Hillard says she'll miss her customers. "I'm trying really hard not to feel guilty about this," she said.