It's the last call for this Brookfield bar and grill, after owner closes in support of daughter battling cancer
BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It's absolutely packed at C.C.'s Elbow Room on Sunday night, with dozens of new and regular patrons flocking into the popular Brookfield bar and grill.
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Some are chowing down on burgers while others are singing loudly to the country music blaring over the speakers.
And while the holiday spirit is alive and well, Dec. 10, 2023 is also the last time customers will raise their glass inside.
“I wanted to serve people and welcome them into my home, and this was my home," owner Cee Cee Ceman told CBS 58's Ellie Nakamoto-White.
Ceman opened the dig in February 2022. Since then, she's created what customers said is a community of its own.
“Someone came in and said tell me what this means, like you’re really a family here?" Ceman recalled. "Actually, we are.”
But it didn't come without hardships.
Ceman's daughter, Joanie, was in chemo, fighting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Now, she's 30-weeks pregnant, and her cancer has come back -- a sign Cee Cee took as one to now step away nearly two years later.
"When I told her I was selling it, she didn't want me to, she was like don't do that for me that's kind of heavy Mom, I don't want to be the one carrying this, that you know you're selling your dream," Ceman said. "I said 'no, it's right' and she broke down and thanked me and she said 'I don't know how else I'd do it without you.'"
For Ceman's longtime customers and friends, the Elbow Room will be sorely missed.
“This location has been a big part of Brookfield for a long time and Cee Cee’s reenergized it and she’s brought a lot of community and life back," said Nisha Gandhi. "I think there’s a lot of sadness and hope that somebody will pick it up and carry her legacy forward.”
And to her daughter, Joanie?
"We love you, stay strong, we got you, anything you need we got your back," said Mitchell Swirth.
As for what's next? Cee Cee has decided to sell the bar, but she lives close by and said she will be a proud patron for whoever takes over.
A GoFundMe page has been started for Joanie and her family.