PARK RIVER (AP) - The Morning Glories and the Table of Knowledge regulars need to find another morning hangout.

That's because Welch's Cafe closed Friday, leaving this Walsh County town without a year-round restaurant downtown.

Morning Glories is the name for the group of women who have coffee at Welch's after attending morning mass. The Table of Knowledge is occupied by male retirees who shake dice, sip coffee and talk trash for two hours.

Members of both groups, along with most of the town's 1,500 residents, are pained by the loss. "This is traumatic," said Laura Alkofer, a Morning Glory.

Added Jean Haave, "It's sad because this is a community gathering place. Besides, they have good food. You can get good, old-fashioned mashed potatoes and gravy, which you can't find much anymore."

Larry Lewis, a retired farmer, said he'll miss the sociability and the Sunday smorgasbord after church. "It's a shocker," he said. "But there's no way we can keep rural North Dakota going."

Rural communities rapidly are losing people and businesses, including cafes. Neighboring Edinburg and Lankin, both within 20 minutes of Park River, lost their cafes within the last year.

But Welch's closing isn't the result of the rural decay. It's not because of a shortage of customers or revenue. Owners Cheryl and Toby Welch say business is better than ever.

That's obvious at noon rush, when almost every one of the 80 seats in the upper level is occupied. There's room for another 30 customers downstairs, which is used for luncheon meetings of organizations.

"Business is quite good," Toby said. "You can make money in the cafe business, but you have to put in the time, especially in a small town. You have to be nice to customers, because you need to have them come back."

Despite its healthy financial statement, the cafe has been on the market for four years without a solid offer. "When we first put it up for sale, my biggest fear was that it would sell too fast," Toby said, chuckling at the irony.

The married couple has owned the cafe for 24 years, starting when they were in their early 20s.

Life became more hectic four years ago, when they bought Welch's Bakery from Toby's parents. Toby, who had worked at the bakery since he was a fourth-grader, took over that operation while Cheryl ran the cafe.

"The problem is that we have just worn out," Sonny said. "We'd like to have one day off a week."

They'll both now work at the bakery, which has been in the family for 38 years, meaning they'll be off on Sundays.

The cafe has been open every day except Saturday and the bakery every day except Sunday. Weekly, the cafe is open 54 hours, a time that doesn't cover all the required food preparation, cleanup and paperwork. A year ago, it was open 70 hours weekly.

When they took a two-week vacation last winter, son Brice, a high school senior, ran the business. Now, he's off to college, meaning it will be even more difficult finding enough qualified help.

"You don't have the potential work force that is available in a big town," Cheryl said. "You can find servers, but it's hard to find someone to do the cooking."

Finding someone willing to put in the hours that ownership requires probably is the reason it hasn't sold, they guess. Experts in the field of agree with them.

Clare Carlson, state director of North Dakota USDA Rural Development, said the time commitment is one of the roadblocks to owning a business in rural communities.

"It becomes a 24/7 job, especially in the restaurant business," he said. "People are nervous about the commitment and the energy needed for running any business, especially in a small town."

Another is the lure of the bigger cities for those who aspire to own a business. "The mega-trend seems to be going to the perceived glamour of larger cities like Minneapolis," Carlson said. "It's perceived there are greater opportunities there, but I don't agree."

Others may doubt that they have the credit history to receive a business loan. "But most local banks have a business interest in having good things in their community," Carlson said. "There's also the USDA, the SBA (Small Business Administration) and other programs out there to help offset the challenges."

Small-town businesses are most likely to be taken over by other local residents. But small-town residents tend to be older.

"So, there are fewer people that fit into the category that are candidates for taking over a business," Carlson said.

Park River hasn't seen the dramatic population loss experienced elsewhere in northeastern North Dakota. Its population is down only about 200 since 1990. Polar Communications and its 65 employees are right out Welch's back door. Marvin Windows in neighboring Grafton has made the job pool run deeper. The school enrollment has fallen from 484 to 415 in eight years, less dramatic a dip than many places. Retail stores remain downtown along with the Lyric Theater, which shows movies three nights a week.

Julius Wangler, executive director of the Red River Regional Council, said Park River's economy has improved dramatically in the last three to four years.

"Kringstad Ironworks has about 35 more employees, the hospital has expanded and stabilized, and the Polar has been increasing employment," he said. "You would sure think that a downtown cafe would have a pretty good future."

Wangler said, a labor shortage is holding back the economy statewide. "Pembina County has quite a few new businesses, but they're finding it tough to find employees," he said.

And any closing, even a cafe's, could have a domino effect. "If the cafe remains closed, it will hurt the downtown," said Claude Sheldon, retired superintendent of schools. "There won't be as much traffic coming down here."

Local residents still have dining options- a supper club, pizza place, two small, seasonal eateries and Gramma Jo's on N.D. Highway 17.

But the Welchs still feel some guilt about closing. They have deep roots, with both Toby's and Cheryl's parents still living here. The Welch name is prominent in the business district. Brother Wes is a local attorney, and sister Mary runs a hairstyling salon.

"It's hard to close because we've had so many loyal customers," Cheryl said.

At Wednesday's Table of Knowledge, the regulars passed around a thank-you card to sign for Cheryl.

"We hope it stays open or else we'll have to go to Gramma Jo's," Ron Hagen said. "They have a coffee group there, too, but they're not nearly as knowledgeable as we are."