Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company is partially back in business following a devastating car crash on Thanksgiving that will keep half of the town’s beloved shop closed for at least several months.
Longtime customers and residents have rallied around founder and co-owner Teri Hope, raising more than $51,000 through GoFundMe to help support the shop’s 22 employees while reconstruction is underway.
“The response has been overwhelming and wonderful,” Hope told San José Spotlight.
The destruction happened shortly before midnight on Thanksgiving when a speeding car barreled down University Avenue in Los Gatos, ran through the intersection at Main Street, plowed through heavy concrete planters and smashed into the shop’s cafe section. It caused extensive damage to the seating and roasting areas.
A car crashed into the Los Gatos Roasting Company on Nov. 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Facebook.
According to the Los Gatan, a local news site, the driver has been identified as Karl Klemmer, 90, who lived at the Terraces of Los Gatos senior community. Klemmer was seriously injured and reportedly died Dec. 7. No one else was injured in the crash.
The coffee bar section of the shop, which frequently hosts live music, wasn’t damaged and reopened Dec. 5 after being shuttered for seven days. Hope said it’s the lengthiest closure since Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company first opened in 1982 — longer than the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
“Having to tell customers they couldn’t come in is contrary to my reflexes,” Hope said.
While the shop is once again offering custom-roasted coffee, the cafe section isn’t serving food and coffee roasting operations are suspended while Hope replaces damaged equipment, which has temporarily slashed overall sales by 80%. Hope expects most if not all of the cost to be covered by insurance and repairs will take four to six months.
Beyond her coffee shop, Hope has been active in multiple Los Gatos arts and business organizations, including helping found the Los Gatos Music in the Park summer series and holiday horse-drawn carriage program in winter.
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Company is more than just another corner coffee shop, said one of the regulars on a chilly December afternoon.
Majid Alasvandian of Los Altos started coming to shop when he moved to town 30 years ago and later brought his children — now in college — when they were in strollers.
“This place keeps downtown alive,” Alasvandian told San José Spotlight. “It feels very cozy and I like the people who work here. I’ve known some for 25 years.”
Alasvandian isn’t the only one who sees Los Gatos Roasting Coffee Company as more than a dose of caffeine.
“I was upset when I heard about the crash because this is a community gathering place for many people,” Mike McHone, another regular, told San José Spotlight. “There’s a warm feeling now, because of how the shop has been able to recover.”
Contact Mike Langberg at [email protected].