Jazz-tinged pop music filters out of speakers behind the counter at Vecinos Coffee Gallery in downtown Muncie. The inside air is fragrant with the smell of coffee beans, and the warmth invites customers inside from the cold weather.
Shiny wood chairs, black tabletops and fancy espresso machines gleam throughout the shop, while handmade stone tables, books, brick walls and a carved-stone chess set add to the decor. Local artwork, which is for sale, and hand-painted murals dot the walls. Large, open windows let you take in the corner of Walnut and Main streets. Clean white dishes for coffee and food items give an air of sophistication.
But all of that is no more — at least not for the next 10 months.
On Saturday, the Muncie coffee shop closed its doors to regular business until September 2011 as it undergoes reorganization. The announcement was made Thursday on the business' Facebook page.
Adam Crowder, Muncie Alliance Church teaching pastor, said Vecinos isn't a typical coffee shop. The business is the "public face" of Alliance World Coffees.
He said part of the reorganization will be developing a ministry model to be used by Vecinos and similar businesses.
Alliance World Coffees is a specialty coffee roaster and the business arm of Muncie Alliance Church. The coffee is roasted at the church, in batches made to order, according to the church's website. Alliance World Coffees also offers catering.
Crowder said when Vecinos reopens, it will be closer to a café, with more food options and a well-established kitchen area. Before Vecinos bought the space, the first floor of the corner building was home to Mezza Luna restaurant. When Vecinos calculated expenses for a kitchen area remodeled from Mezza Luna, Crowder said they did not realize some health department codes had changed. When the health department visited, the inspectors explained additional renovations would cost an extra $6,000 to $8,000.
Store manager Chris Deferio said closing the business was the option for reorganizing that made the most sense. Since Vecinos hadn't finished its kitchen area before opening, he said the decision to close wasn't a surprise.
Deferio said he probably won't return to run Vecinos next September because he is relocating; however, he said he would remain a consultant and help with training for new staff.
"I was more of a full-time consultant, while working the coffee bar," he said.
On Saturday, the last day the coffee shop was open, Crowder said Vecinos had quite a bit of business.
"I think coffee-related business picked up," he said. "It was the most for about the last eight months."
Vecinos Coffee Gallery opened in December in the Patterson Building at 102 S. Walnut St. The Patterson Building also is home to Ivy Tech Community College's Schools of Public and Social Services and Education, which opened for classes in January.
Vecinos will be open for Friday Night Café live music and ArtsWalk events, Crowder said. Artwork in the business is still for sale and Crowder said they are looking to collaborate with the Ball State art department for new works. The business is continuing to look for musical guests for the café events.
Barista Sarah Reynolds said Friday the company decided to keep the space available to rent for weddings or receptions as well.
Reynolds, who is an intern for Muncie Alliance Church, said she would keep her job with the company because she had a second job on the side, training horses.
The internship offered by Muncie Alliance Church is for those pursuing a ministry career. It pays living and studying expenses, according to the church's website. The interns take classes in the morning and roast coffee later in the day.
Deferio said the internship is to help people learn about the coffee shop business while working for Alliance World Coffees, so that they might one day be able to run a coffee business to support their own ministry.
He said the company wants to serve the community and support interns, and the goal is longer term than making money.
While Deferio said that the business' revenue wasn't his responsibility, the company wasn't seeing the numbers they needed to see.
"The ultimate goal is to be a coffee bar that serves good food for lunch and breakfast," he said. "And have it be successful."
Deferio stressed that this isn't a permanent closure.
"We're in competition with McGalliard [Road] for business downtown, and we want downtown to become a center for commerce," he said. "Having the coffee shop there will help that."
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