Mercury Coffee Shop regular Alicia Hameister, 73, of Dearborn, a professor emeritus of nursing at Wayne State University, surveyed coffee shop customers about the closing of Dearborn's icon that has been serving patrons for 47 years. Of 98 respondents, 10 said they\'d been customers for five years, 10 said 25 years, 13 said 30 years, another 13 said 35 years, and two said since it opened in 1960. Breakfast was the most-popular meal. Diners usually stayed an hour and came to socialize as much as eat. Hameister is making a memory book for employees and wants to present her findings to the Dearborn City Council. \"It\'s been such an important part of people\'s lives, and they need to know how important some places are,\" she said. Mary Bucher, director of annual giving at Wayne State University and patron of the Mercury Coffee Shop, also commented in the story.