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Welton St. Café Fighting To Stay In Five Points

(CBS4) -- If you've been to Denver's Five Points neighborhood lately, you've probably noticed how much it's changed. But the owners of Welton St. Café are determined to stay.

Fathima Dickerson
(credit: CBS)

"I love feeding people. I love feeding people," said Fathima Dickerson, one of the café's owners.

She's been serving up Southern and Caribbean cooking to locals for decades. But come March, their lease is up, and there is no way they're leaving the street they're named after. Fathima has a new spot a block down Welton picked out but it's totally empty, and getting it ready is going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"We have to get plumbing, HVAC, we have to get electrical work, appliances, furniture. We have to build the complete restaurant," she told CBS4's Dominic Garcia.

welton st cafe
(credit: CBS)

A GoFundMe campaign to raise money is off to a good start; they're even selling café merchandise to help.

"We're still holding on to what we believe in," Dickerson said. "We need community spaces for the black community, where all generations can come and feel like they belong."

welton st cafe patrons
(credit: CBS)

The café's last day at its current location will be March 12. No date has been set to open at the location.

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