What time does the Java House close?

A few months ago, they opened a new Java House over on 1st Avenue not far from where I live. It’s Iowa City’s fourth Java House, adding to the coffee empire in this town. I found out tonight that this new one closes at 10pm on Sunday nights. That’s too bad. I know the East Side isn’t a haven for students; it’s mostly residential, but a coffee shop that closes at 10pm is a damn shame.

I still miss Ground Zero, which I lived above when I first moved to Iowa City. It was a funky coffee shop. Bands played there on the weekends. They were open late. And best of all, their lattes rocked. The Terrapin, which has two locations here, has taken the mantle of the best latte in town. But I still would like a coffee shop in this town that has a performance space. Brewed Awakenings briefly took the mantle after Ground Zero closed, but BA quickly closed down only to be replaced by a club, The Green Room, which seems to be doing pretty well.

When I was out in San Luis Obispo in California this summer, we went and saw a singer/songwriter play in an outdoor space in the back of a coffee shop downtown. It was a great experience, but it reminded me that we need something like that here. There are so many great musicians here, that it seems like somebody would take that upon themselves to start a place. Rock clubs are not the best place for intimate acoustic music. Now, it’s true that every great once in a while, a small group can play at the downtown Java House, but it’s awkward because the space doesn’t accomodate performers and audiences.

Iowa City needs a coffee house with a performance space.