It’s where I met David Crosby. And Regis Philbin.
Sadly, they are gone. And now, so is SmartWorld Coffee.
“It is with bittersweet news that SmartWorld Coffee has come to the end of its era and we want to say goodbye to the Morristown Community,” said a letter taped to the South Street shop’s door on Thursday.
Dave Walters and his wife Stephanie Meehan opened the place in 2006. It served sustainably harvested coffee and home-grown conversation.
I cannot count all the interviews I conducted at SmartWorld–right up to last week–or the articles I banged out there. On snowy afternoons, I fantasized about retirement, with a good book and a steaming hot chocolate, gazing out the picture window at a hypnotic swirl of white on the Presbyterian Parish House.
During COVID’s darkest hours, SmartWorld became a hub of hope. Dave helped spearhead Serve It Forward and Adopt a Business Morristown, programs to keep local establishments afloat.
The late Steve “Hogie” Hogan, beloved tattoo artist and Morristown High alum, gave one of his final musical performances outside SmartWorld.
It’s where Morristown movers and shakers traded gossip. Young barristas swapped war stories from the dating trenches, and critiqued movies and music. Occasionally, stars ambled in for a caffeine fix after their sound checks at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.
I remember explaining to the staff that the scruffy gent with the walrus mustache who just left with a cold brew once played at a place called Woodstock, with three other rock legends they never heard of.
“We will cherish all of the memories and relationships built in our time,” the letter continued.
So shall we.
Perhaps more memories are ahead. The message, signed simply as “The SmartWorld Team,” professed excitement about passing the torch, and dangled a promise of details about a coming addition to Morristown’s “coffee culture.”
Stay tuned.
When I worked in Morristown I used to go there all the time, I loved the place. I even had coffee once or twice with then Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.
I still go to the one in Denville.
Smart World has been an asset to the community during its entire existence and will be sorely missed, especially by its regulars and I am decidedly one of them. I had an inkling something was going to happen given the shifting ownership and management. I hope what comes next is up to the “implied promise” on the door and that the wonderful, loyal and competent staff will remain.