Inside the Village's former Baron's Place, several paint cans are assembled in the back of the room where a few paint-spotted ladders line the blue walls.
Ceiling tiles are piled on the dust-covered wooden floor as wires extend from overhead. In the basement below, a bar counter lines a section of the wall, and a pile of lumber is grouped in another area near an empty Nerds gum ball machine.
In only a few weeks, however, the disarrayed spot will turn into a tavern that will add a fresh face to the Village.
Mo's Tavern, which will be located behind Greek's Pizzeria, will open in March, possibly by St. Patrick's Day.
"It's going to take a major change," said Bret Granger, who began the electrical wiring for Mo's Tavern Tuesday. "It'll be a surprise to people that's been in here before."
Business owner Myles Ogea said the business will have a pub tavern type of feel with an extensive beer menu and mixed drinks as well. He also said the tavern will include a limited menu.
"But it's going to be a good menu - great value," he said. "I think it's something that is going to be priced right for students."
Live entertainment will also take place in the basement of Mo's Tavern as well as outside, Ogea said. A key benefit to placing Mo's Tavern in the building behind Greek's is that the building is connected to his MT Cup and MoTini's businesses, and the courtyard behind the MT Cup will be shared with Mo's Tavern, he said.
As far as other features of the tavern are concerned - students will just have to wait and see, he said.
"I just can't say too much," he said. "I just want to wait until it unfolds. I kind of want to keep it a little bit of a surprise, and when we get it going, it'll be fun."
Ogea said he looks forward to Mo's Tavern's opening, especially since the tavern will serve as an employee-run business.
"If I can, I like to hire from within," Ogea said. "My employees usually stay with me a long time, and I really like that a lot ... I'm excited to see what they do."
Ogea said the inspiration for Mo's Tavern, which has been in the works for several months, came from his desire to bring a fresh energy to the Village.
"I want it to be something different from all the other places down here - that's what I'm going for," Ogea said. "I want it to have its own feel, its own personality."
Ogea said he did not derive the name for his new business from The Simpsons, which features a Moe's Tavern. He did not even know that a Mo's Tavern existed on the television show until employees told him, he said.
"It's rare that I watch TV - I don't even have a TV in my home," Ogea said. "I was just playing off my initials ... I already liked the name, so I decided to stick with it."
Ogea said Mo's Tavern will be a joint venture that involves employees from some of his various businesses. He not only owns the building that will house the tavern, but also the building that houses Jimmy John's, he said. Besides the MT Cup and MoTini's, Ogea also owns The Bird. Contrary to rumors that The Bird will eventually move over to the area where MT Cup is located, the Bird will remain open exactly where it is, Ogea said.
Ball State University sophomore Vicky Haladyna, who frequents the MT Cup and MoTini's, looks forward to the opening of Mo's Tavern.
"Oh yeah - every new bar's a big deal," she said with a laugh as she sat at a table in the MT Cup Tuesday afternoon.
Florian Kirschstein, a long-time visitor from Berlin, Germany, said he especially looks forward to one thing - "the beer," he said with a smile.
In addition to that, customers look forward to the sense of unity that Ogea's establishments tend to foster.
"It's really towny-like," Haladyna said. "You see people all the time ... It's 'Cheers.' You want everyone to know your name - that solidarity makes you want to come."
Kirschstein, who said he visits the MT Cup every day, considers Ogea a "guy who brings people together."
And as Mo's Tavern prepares to open, bringing people together is one of Ogea's greatest goals.
"I hope it will bring in community people as well as Ball State people," Ogea said. "I hope it will continue to bridge the gap just as the MT Cup and MoTini's has done. Scotty's has done it."
Ogea has received feedback from both employees and customers about what they want to see in the tavern, and many emphasized they wanted something "fresh" and "new," he said. Ogea said he also did an initial hiring process last week during which more than 100 people showed up, primarily students, he said.
As Mo's Tavern's opening day nears, competition is not a concern for Ogea, he said.
"I like the fact that there are other like businesses down here," he said. "That's fine - that brings more energy down here, and I hope people will stay positive on the Village and continue to enjoy it."
Scott Craddock, general manager of Scotty's Brewhouse in the Village, said an increase in the number of businesses that open in the Village benefits all businesses in the area.
"The more things that are open to bring people down here, it just gives them the opportunity to try Scotty's out as well," he said.
And Jimmy John's general manager Derek Lakin, who attended Ball State 10 years ago, said having a variety of similar businesses in the area increases options for students and provides more exposure for Jimmy John's.
"It's a good variety of things to offer students within a short distance," Lakin said. "And, of course, having three bars within a block of us - that's a big bonus for us."
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