Blair Sharp, owner of 'The Coffee Stop' at the Carson City Courthouse enjoys a joke from a customer while working. Kevin Clifford/ Nevada Appeal
For 15 years, Blair Sharp was the "lunch lady" at Carson High School. That experience parlayed into her current stint of serving sandwiches and soup to lawyers and everyday folk at the Carson City Courthouse.
On the first floor of the justice building, before you go through the metal detector, Blair sells a lot of coffee and makes sure she has Tab on hand for one of the district court judges.
She's been doing that Monday through Friday for the past four years.
"After this many years, I think I'm here for a while," she joked.
Throughout the day, bailiffs, lawyers and judges are among the handful of people who saunter through, pick out a drink or a bowl of soup, and chat for a bit. On some days, an entire wedding party will come in after or before seeing the justice of the peace.
Some of her customers have legal matters to deal with. They sometimes lay their story on Blair as she fixes coffee for them.
If a regular requests a specific food, Blair does her best to oblige. She always has the fixin's for root-beer floats, Italian sodas and orange freezes. With the lo-carb craze, she stocks hard-boiled eggs and string cheese. But for the carb lovers, there's a fresh assortment of bagels and muffins. There's always soup in the slow-cooker.
Born and raised in Elko, Blair and her husband of 40 years, Neil, are high school sweethearts. Nevada is home to them; both their parents were Nevada-born as well, and they haven't strayed very far for very long. They raised their three children in Carson City, though a daughter now calls Elko home.
At a time in their lives when some couples may take to the road in a motor home, Neil and Blair don't have that sort of yearning.
"Neither one of us has any desire to travel," Neil said. "We're not really leaf peepers."
Though running the snack bar at the courthouse won't make her rich, Blair said it's better than no job at all, plus, she's her own boss.
Neil comes in after driving a school bus, and the couple spends the morning playing gin rummy at one of the three little tables in the shop.
Their weekends are filled with grandkids and sporting events.
They like where they are and admit, unashamedly, life is good.
"This works out just great," she said.
-- Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.