FOR TILLY. Tilly Elaine James Harder was two years old when she passed away. In the days, weeks and months that followed, the community of Fall Creek rallied behind Tilly's mom, dad and step brother Brayden; on Tilly's first heavenly birthday, her family is celebrating the grand opening of Tilly's Coffee Shoppe, in her honor.

“She was just such a special little girl and she made a mark on so many people, and it shows through the support we’ve gotten," Meghan Harder said, sat across from me inside her family's soon-to-open business. “That’s why this shop is so special, so people who never got the chance to know her will feel like they know this little piece of her.”

Tilly's Coffee Shoppe (102 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite C, Fall Creek) bursts with butterfly-themed decor, mini disco balls and softballs, purple and pink pops of color, and photos of Tilly, the little girl who the business is dedicated to.

The new storefront – the third business in the building, which has found new life since Restored Co. owner Hailey Martin bought and renovated it in 2024 – will host its official grand opening from 8:30am-2pm on Saturday, Feb. 21.

The day’s festivities, while sure to bring laughter, joy, and plenty of espresso, will also be bittersweet. The Harder family chose the opening date to coincide with their daughter's first heavenly birthday.

Tilly Elaine James Harder was two years old when she passed away last spring. While her parents, Meghan and Jeremy, are not originally from Fall Creek, the small town became home; it’s where Tilly was growing up.

Meghan was all smiles when we meet inside the coffee shop. Even when tears meet the brim of her eyes, the smile remains, talking about her late daughter and the promise of uplifting Tilly’s story in Fall Creek.

"Now, looking back, was I ready to take the leap or ready to do all this? Absolutely not. But if I've learned one thing, (it's) there's no right or wrong way to grieve."

MEGHAN HARDER

TILLY'S MOM, OWNER OF TILLY'S COFFEE SHOPPE

Meghan Harder, pictured, standing inside Tilly's Coffee Shoppe ahead of its grand opening.

We chuckle, too, when Meghan admits the space we sat in – the purple booths of the coffee shop, inspired by an ice cream parlor near Galesville, not too far from Meghan’s hometown – is the result of an uncharacteristically bold decision made in the weeks following Tilly’s passing.

While serving in the army, Meghan had a fleeting daydream of owning her own coffee shop. When she returned home from overseas deployment, she mentioned the idea to her mom – “it was always just an idea, nothing that I really looked super into,” Meghan recalled – before tucking it away.

In the years that followed, Meghan earned her degree in criminal justice rehabilitation, managed a local bar for a few years, got married, and had Tilly. The coffee shop idea sat, with a pin in it, in the back of her mind.

“Then, May 4, 2025, Tilly passed away. Within a few weeks of just, obviously, going through grief, I got the idea (again),” Meghan said. “In one of my erratic grief moments I was like, ‘I’m going to open a coffee shop.’ When you lose someone super important to you, you realize just how short life truly is.

“Now, looking back, was I ready to take the leap or ready to do all this? Absolutely not,” she said. “But if I’ve learned one thing, (it’s) there’s no right or wrong way to grieve.”

The Harder family's heart is on display for all to see, inside Tilly's Coffee Shoppe. Pinks and purples, western-themed signs and figures, toys that Tilly loved (like the Bluey figurines, pictured) and Fall Creek softball merch fill the space.

A local coffee roaster helped create the custom "Tilly's Heavenly Cowgirl Coffee" blend available at the new shop.

The Harder family has since dedicated themselves to keeping Tilly’s spirit alive by way of speaking her name and her story. For Meghan, that idea is being further realized through Tilly’s Coffee Shoppe.

Inside the Fall Creek coffee shop, the family’s heart is on display for all to see. Upon walking through the front door, immediately to the left is a large photo of Tilly sitting criss-cross with a big grin on her face, with a pair of handcrafted butterfly wings.

The wings are adorned with violets, lupines, Forget-Me-Nots and Miss Tilly flowers; all shades of purple.

The color has become “Tilly’s purple,” Meghan said. She has coached Fall Creek’s high school softball team for over five years, and when Tilly passed last year, the team dedicated one of its games – held just days after – to her. Butterflies and the color purple marked the game, down to the softball field’s plates.

A pink drywall panel, pictured, was cut our from Tilly's bedroom and brought to the shop; it informed the rest of the business's style. The contractor who helped with the project, Nate, was also one of the first responders on the scene when Tilly passed. 

“People here have showed up for my family over and over again, and I’m grateful for that. That’s why it’s super important to be be doing this in Fall Creek,” Meghan said. “(The community) went above and beyond and made that really lonely time in our lives a little less lonely.”

End-capping the seating area is a pink wall with colorful cowboy-inspired illustrations and the word “Howdy” spelt out in pink rope. It was cut out directly from Tilly’s bedroom – which served as the inspiration for the coffee shop's western disco theme – bringing a piece of home into the shop.

The longer you look around the space, the more you’ll notice its tethers to Fall Creek and the Harders' story. In the display window of the store, a carousel-style horse figure stands, a decor item from Tilly’s second birthday; on the coffee bar's shelf, a custom coffee blend, "Tilly's Heavenly Cowgirl coffee," can be purchased, provided by local On The Mark Roasters.

On the mantel, two softballs – signed by the whole Fall Creek high school team – are on display, including one from Tilly’s dedication game. 

Above the mantel, two large photos of Tilly are displayed, pictured with coffee cups in her small hands. Tilly caught onto her mom's love for iced coffee and often wanted her own cup; Meghan satisfied her by serving a small mug full of cold foam.

“She looked 100% like her dad and acted 100% like her mom,” Meghan said, smiling.

“This is a part of Tilly’s story, my family’s story, and also part of Fall Creek history,” Meghan continued, gesturing to the wall filled with newspaper clippings, Fall Creek softball team photos, images of Tilly and more.

Meghan has coached the Fall Creek High School softball team for over five years. The team responded to the Harder family's loss in the best way they knew: with an outpouring of support. The team dedicated the color purple to Tilly, inspired by the flower, Miss Tilly.

When Tilly’s Coffee Shoppe opens its doors on grand opening day – and each business day afterward – the Harders will have the opportunity to share more of Tilly’s life, with even more people.

As customers meet to grab a drink and a bite at Tilly's – plenty of coffee drinks, non-espresso drinks and even baked goods (including kolaches from Bohemian Ovens and gluten-free treats) – the little girl's story continues, too.

“Some days are definitely easier than others,” Meghan said. “Losing someone you care about, especially your child, is hard in general; what would be more heartbreaking to me is if she was forgotten.”

When Tilly’s Coffee Shoppe opens its doors on grand opening day – Tilly's birthday, Feb. 21 – so, too, does the family's next chapter begin, with their love for Tilly guiding the way.

Tilly's Coffee Shoppe (102 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite C, Fall Creek) will host its grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 8am-2pm • The shop's hours will be 6am-2pm, Wednesday-Friday; 7am-2pm on Saturday; 7am-Noon on Sunday • Keep up with Tilly's on social media 

This banner mimics the engraved design on the back of Tilly's headstone, featuring some of her favorites: Minnie, Moana, Bluey and more.

Alongside the coffee shop's espresso and baked goods menus, "Tilly's Dirty Sodas" menu will also be available for the shop's grand opening.

Meghan – an iced coffee aficionado – shared her go-to order: sugar-free vanilla latte with oat milk and cold foam, iced.