Working Dog Cafe’ – What’s in a Name?
Have you stopped by our Working Dog Cafe’ to enjoy the delicious, creative offerings served up by our Deli Manager, John, and his team?
Did you read about the story behind the name? It’s posted there. But, if you missed it….
The Working Dog Café is named in memory of Jeanne Carlson who was Co-op Chair from January 2013 – July 2014. Jeanne and her husband, Colton Seale, moved to Lovettsville from Alaska in 2009. She was fresh off a 10-year Alaskan adventure where she ran a successful environmental non-profit and played a central role on the Board of the Chugiak Dog Mushers Association. She was looking for a fresh way to invest her civic energy and soon came across a notice for a Lovettsville Cooperative Market meeting being held in the barn at Pamela and Malcolm Baldwin’s Weatherlea Farm. She attended, loved the people, as she would come to truly love Lovettsville, and was immediately fully invested!
In addition to her volunteer role as Chair of the Co-op, she explored the worlds of wine and coffee. She was planning to design and open a coffee shop on a nearby lot here in Lovetttsville and wanted to name it “The Working Dog Café” in honor of her mushing dogs and, actually, all working dogs.
In Alaska, Jeanne trained Iditarod teams and devoted her life to those working dogs. In Lovettsville, she and her husband found a robust farming community, reliant on working dogs, mixed with a commuter community. So, “Working Dog” seemed the perfect name for a coffee shop in the heart of a vibrant rural-commuter community where working dogs are often an integral part of a farmer’s family.
Jeanne’s dreams for the coffee shop and her work with the Co-op ended very prematurely. She passed away shortly after being diagnosed with colon cancer at age 47 in July 2014. The Board voted unanimously to name the Co-op café in her memory and to those working dogs she loved so much.
We hope this bit of background will help you appreciate the name, the link to our community and tribute to an amazing woman.
