Debby Fulks-Larimer is about to trade cavity care for coffee cups.
The local dental hygienist, who will retire soon from the Athens City-County Health Department, said she plans to open Athens' newest coffee shop Friday.
Court Street Coffee, located at 67 S. Court St., will serve coffee lovers of all types and offer a different atmosphere than other local coffee shops, Fulks-Larimer said.
I guess we could say we're more like a Starbucks
but with better coffee she said.
Setting an earthy-mood with a color scheme that includes variations on greens, browns and maroon, Fulks-Larimer said her shop would fend off overly sophisticated stereotypes that many coffee shops emulate.
Her menu, she said, will be in a language that you won't need to take a course to understand.
She orders coffee and equipment from a Columbus franchise called Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, which does not offer fair trade on a daily basis, she said.
Though she plans to serve some fair-trade products, she said she wants to keep the prices low, so she doesn't know if she would serve fair trade coffees every day.
Court Street Coffee occupies the space at which the Baron Men's Shop was located for 65 years before it closed.
If you look at it (Court Street Coffee) will be the first business people from the university will go by when they walk uptown from Baker
she said.
She added that she expects her new coffee shop to compete with Perk's Coffee House & Roastery, Donkey Coffee and Espresso and The Front Room - but Fulks-Larimer said she thinks Athens has room for another shop.
Fulks-Larimer said she would like to open daily at about 7 a.m. and that she's not sure when Court Street Coffee would close. I'd like to stay open later and provide special desserts when there are special events at Mem Aud
which is right next door.
For some students, another coffee shop is always welcome.
There's Perk's
Donkey
Brennen's
Bagel Street
Front Room and in the Atrium in Grover - a ton of places. We probably don't need another coffee place
but it will probably do well because everybody drinks coffee around here
said Nate Blue, a 5th-year senior studying athletic training.
Others in the coffee business say Court Street Coffee's success will depend on its atmosphere.
I'd posit OU runs on coffee most of the year
