A Poplar Bluff native and his brother-in-law have pulled a downtown diamond out of the construction dust of ancient plaster, old carpet and worn out vinyl siding.
While an Arabica bean might make a better comparison than a gem stone for the future home of Foxtrot Coffee, one thing is certain. Ken Hill and Philip Neeley are taking a risk on something they love -- a good cup of joe and downtown preservation.
"This is the heart of what we want to do," said Neeley, who moved to Poplar Bluff after his wife, Hill's sister, became pregnant with their first child.
"It's the heart of the city."
A year into the remodeling project, Neeley spoke from a wide open sales floor bracketed by an original exposed brick wall to the left and a reclaimed wood plank wall to the right.
A shiplap ceiling with a coat of fresh paint and some original glass windows from the uncovered storefront give the space a bright, open feeling.
"Even though we may be able to open in a different spot, a newer part of town, a newer, more modern place, and make more money, that's not what we want," said Hill, 31, whose day job is Southeast Home Improvement.
"This is what we want ... a historic downtown setting."
Their building, 404 Vine St., started its life nearly a century ago as Walker Pierce Grocery. Ira Walker lived on Poplar Street with his wife, Bertha. The couple operated from this storefront after its construction in 1920, until at least the late 1960s, local historians say.
In the decades since, wood paneling and carpet was added, along with drop ceiling tiles. The paneling was painted white and vinyl siding covered the glass of the original storefront windows to give what was considered a modern look in the 1970s.
Hill and Neeley pealed all of this back to uncover twin cast iron pillars on either side of the front entrance and the many other authentic touches they believe will make this coffee shop one of a kind.
In keeping with the historic nature of the site, a half brick wall that lines the front sidewalk was built from the remains of the McNeely Shoe building. It was destroyed by fire in 2016.
"There was actually some wood here that was rotted, so we took that out and put some brick there and enclosed this," Neeley said of an area that will provide outdoor seating.
The covered outdoor area includes more exposed brick, with an image of the United States entirely unique to Foxtrot.
Neeley, who also works at Southeast Home Improvement, drew the image on the plaster that covered the brick. The 28-year-old then chiseled the unwanted material off of the rest of the wall until all that was left were the iconic boundaries cut out of plaster.
Industrial touches inside include pendant lighting, a poured concrete bar and concrete floor.
Hill and Neeley hope to be open by early October. Sealing the brick walls and bar, and adding finishing touches to the floor remain.
The full-time coffee shop will roast its own coffee beans, as well as offering tea and sandwiches.
The pair want to be able to provide a quick lunch or a place to linger, depending on their customers' moods.
"We've thought about it a lot, are we making a mistake," said Hill. "We don't know how big of an impact we're going to have. We hope we have an impact. But ultimately, for our coffee shop, this is the setting we want."
Both Hill and Neeley hope this will inspire others to take a chance on downtown locations, in the way they have been inspired by the businesses there.
"It just takes people starting to do it," said Neeley. "Part of it was also just kind of a business decision, in that there's so much potential here, why not be the people who come in and help bring that to life?"
Hill wants this to be the kind of place his family travels to find.
"There's nothing I enjoy more than to tour historic downtowns and look at the architecture and the buildings," he said.
This renovation is a beautiful addition to the downtown area, according to Jerrica Fox of Downtown Poplar Bluff and Emily Wolpers, chairperson of the Poplar Bluff Historical Preservation Commission.
"It showcases the true beauty of our buildings in the downtown area," said Fox. "We are excited for them to join our district and encourage the community to stop in and visit once they are open for business."
The work the owners have done shows that historic storefront facades are still there, said Wolpers.
"The original facade is a huge addition to the downtown and it shows what people can do," she said.
These are the kind of improvements national and state representatives of the Main Street program have said will draw people and business to downtown, Wolpers continued.