By Maya Jones
Over the years, Southgate Coins has hosted dozens (if not hundreds) of birthday celebrations for the employees and store owners, Rusty and Marie Goe. This year, it seems only fitting that the very last birthday celebrated within these four walls is for the Lady of the Coin Shop, Marie.
If you haven’t already heard, at the end of the day on Monday, October 31, 2016, when the gates are drawn, the signs are flipped, and the blinds are shut, Southgate Coins will permanently close their brick and mortar store that’s been a Reno institution on South Virginia Street for 16 years. (You can read Northern Nevada Business Weekly’s article here, and the Reno Gazette Journal’s article here.)
But, before we close the store and move onto the next phase for our business, there is one tradition that we are still proud to have kept up for all the years we’ve been here: honoring Marie on her birthday. Each October, we know that the changing season signals Marie’s favorite time of year. The autumn colors come out in full force, the stores put out their harvest-themed décor, complete with pumpkins and gourds, scarecrows and hay bales, and burnt-orange-colored ceramics and knickknacks.
This year, I (Maya) told Marie that I thought she may have had her fill of chrysanthemums, since she seems to receive one every year on her birthday, as that’s what most stores have available. I was fortunate to find something a little more unique this year: a potted Asian Lantern. It’s a vine-type plant, with deep orange, heart-shaped blooms that look like little lanterns hanging from the vine. She was very surprised this morning when I gave it to her, complete with butterfly magnet, birthday card, and mini-balloon.
Although we don’t know what the future holds for Southgate Coins in the coming months, we know that no matter what, we’ll always uphold the tradition of making Marie’s birthday as special as possible. I hope that she enjoys the new addition to her garden, and that she has a wonderful, relaxing evening at home with Rusty and the pups.
Happy birthday, Marie!
Maya