The owners of the newest coffee shop to hit Martin say that business is taking off.

Mike Day and Ed Eubank have been citizens of Martin for a long time.

Eubank is the pastor of Day Star church and Day is the owner of the local Hunan Palace.

They have both traveled to various places all over the world, including Europe, Asia and China. "Every time we travel somewhere we have coffee on the road and we realized that there was not a coffee shop in Maritn.”

“We decided to open up Java Café' Central as a hobby and to give something back to the community,” Day said. They realized they would go through a pioneering process by opening up a coffee shop in this area, but were willing to take the chance.

“The disadvantage that came along with the opening up a new coffee shop was that many people had a misconception of cappuccino an espresso and people had to acquire a taste for it,” Eubank said.

When they first opened Java Café' last May, their intentions were to set this as a creative center for young musicians. The café' can also be considered a Cyber Café' because of it’s high-speed Internet computers.

The coffee that is served comes from a micro roaster out of Minneapolis. "Micro roasters deal with small quantities and special customers.

They take their work as an art and it shows in their product," Eubank said.

They offer a variety of hot drinks to choose from such as, Flavored Latte, Café' Mocha, Gourmet Hot Chocolate, Chai Tea Latte, Cappuccino and Espresso.

Their espresso that is used in a variety of their coffee drinks is brewed in an Italian Espresso machine from Italy.

If a customer comes in and is not sure what something on the menu is or what it tastes like, free sampling is available.

They want their customers to be satisfied in their choice.

"I like it! We don’t really have a place that serves mochas and lattes and I think that’s something that has been missing from Martin, especially since this is a college town,” said Lynn Alexander, chair of the English Department.

They also offer a variety of desserts, such as Tiramisu, Fudge/Espresso Cheesecake, New Orleans Bourbon Pecan Pie, Boston Cream Pie and Jamaican Pineapple Rum Cake.

Right now you can buy one dessert at regular price and get the second dessert for half price.

They change the desserts weekly and try to offer things that you cannot get anywhere else in this area.

“It is very yummy and tasty,” said Joey Pierce, a sophomore Marketing major from Columbia.

The café's Italian-style grilled sandwiches are made on fresh focacci bread and they come with either ham, turkey or roast beef. They can be topped with either mozzarella, American or Swiss cheeses.

They offer lunch and UTM specials daily. Students can also receive a discount by showing their student identification card.

Their drive-through window is now open so their customers can take the food to school, work or home with them.

“We want Java Café Central to be a viable part of UTM.”

“We wanted to provide a big-city feel in a small community. We also want to "wow" people whey they walk through the door and we want them to be comfortable.”

“The biggest comment that we have gotten is that our café' is a lot the one featured on NBC's Friends,” said Eubank.

“We welcome students to come in and study even if they don't buy anything,” said Davy. Java Café Central is open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to midnight.

There are certain occasions, such as exam periods, that remain open until 2:30 a.m.

Open Mic Nite begins every Friday at 9 p.m.