Deidrich's Coffee is still here. Henry and Rita and Alma are still running the morning shift with warmth and humor and panache. They see your car pull into the parking lot and, if your habits are, well, habitual, your order is waiting by the time you get to the counter. They have a devoted following. When Henry and Rita start working at the Starbuck's in Cross Creek, a lot of Deidrich's customers will follow them. (Alma's taken a job at a Starbucks closer to her home)

Despite three or four proposed closing dates, Deidrich's keeps getting a reprieve. What's the deal? The rumor floating around town is that the new owner of the shopping center really doesn't want Starbucks as a tenant. Wishes Deidrich's would stay. But since Deidrich's CEO Steve Coffey (seriously - did he ever have a career choice?) wants to get out of the coffee house biz and sell beans on the internet, that's not an option. (Hey Peets - are you listening? Want a nice, thriving Malibu location?) So the closing date keeps floating. Now it's supposedly this Friday. But people are skeptical. They’re placing bets. And making plans to meet for coffee and crosswords and wifi on Saturday morning.