The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

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  • W. Terry Smith

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May 1, 2008

Café reopens next week

New owners eager to offer good food and service

W. TERRY SMITH

The Main Street Café will open next week under new ownership.

Mike and Jennifer Price have bought "the opportunity" from Dave Palakanis, who put the restaurant up for sale in February.

Palakanis continues to own and operate the Underground Pub downstairs on Friday and Saturday nights.

Both establishments are in the Bridgers Building at 439 Main St. and are owned by the Tarboro Area Development Corp (TADC), which renovated the building into store fronts and apartments. Price has a two-year lease.

Price is a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Tarboro Realty. His wife Jennifer is a labor and delivery nurse at Heritage Hospital. They moved to Tarboro about a year ago from Halifax. She had lived in town before and wanted to come back, her husband said.

The couple – both are 38 – was married in July.

"We saw that it was for sale, and talked about how neat it would be to own it," Price said. "The location is spectacular.

"We want people to come back," he said. "We will offer good food, good coffee and good service. We will treat our customers like we would want to be treated."

The original coffee shop opened as the Java Time in July 2005 but closed in late October of that year when owner Dianne Boyette of Garner said she was offered an opportunity in Raleigh."

Palakanis bought the corner eatery and opened Main Street Cafe´ on Jan 2, 2006.

Price said the name will remain the same.

Price said much would stay the same although he is planning to open at 6 a.m. for breakfast and close at 5 p.m.. Monday through Thursday, stay open until 7 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

"There is no ice cream parlor in town," he said, "so maybe during the summer we will look to stay open until 9 p.m."

In the future, the Prices would like to be able to deliver lunches downtown.

Price also plans to add at least one more table, six bar stools and a couple padded chairs. The mounted television set will be removed.

The menu will feature coffee, sandwiches ice cream and "a few other things," he said.

The space lacks adequate ventilation for on-premises cooking.

"I am going to be here all the time starting out, 60 hours a week," Price said. "Jennifer will join me when she can."

Price will employ three people; two have already been hired,

His previous experience was a few years ago when he worked part-time in an Italian restaurant and pizzeria.

His wife is trying to locate art from local artists in the café.

A grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, May 10 to coincide with the second 2nd Saturday.



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