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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Members of Meri Moon’s staff, the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce, city leadership and happy customers all gathered outside the doors of Montevallo’s newest rebirthed success for its grand opening ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

Returning a long-missed staple to the community, Meri Moon is a spiritual recreation and revitalization of Eclipse Coffee and Books, which formerly operated in a different location on the other end of Main Street.

Following Eclipse’s closure in July of 2017, those in Montevallo have verbally expressed a desire to see the business return, with another business, Baba Java at the Strand, having tried to fill its shoes only to close in the short span of nine months.

Along with the former owner of Eclipse, Cheryl Patton, Rachel Phillips has helped organize the brands revival with a refreshed look and new name all while continuing with the same original atmosphere and community comradery.

“It has been great, I can’t say more than it is just amazing,” Phillips said. “Everything has gone smoothly and we have been able to slow open like we wanted to. We were able to get a lot of things handled and situated before we went big and had the students come back this weekend. It was just a really good start to what we think is coming.”

Congregating outside the business, members of the community joined the Montevallo Chamber of Commerce and a collection of city officials in a celebration of Meri Moon’s opening that filled the storefront’s patio, extended across the sidewalk and risked going further.

With Cheryl Patton and members of the staff and chamber holding the ribbon, Phillips happily closed the scissors and cut the length in two as the audience threw up their hands in congratulations.

“We had a great big turnout,” Phillips said. “It was really cool to see people show up today for the ribbon cutting. It has been great with the whole town, community and those from the university coming to lend their support.”

Now fully open, Meri Moon has already seen what was a great response from the public turn into welcoming lines of customers spurred larger by the return of students to the University of Montevallo for the school year.

“We’ve had some people come in that remembered it back when it was the Strand—because they’ll walk in the door and try to go up the stairs and we have to break it to them (that they can’t)—and of course we have had a ton of Eclipse people return. We have people working here now that worked for Eclipse.”

With the University of Montevallo celebrating its largest incoming freshman class since fall 2012, Meri Moon is fully braced for the perfect storm of students, who again have another local coffee option that is ready and willing to serve as host.

Meri Moon features a variety of beverages on its menu, including specialty coffees, cappuccinos, cold brews, cortados, macchiatos, lattes, teas, smoothies and the triumphant return of Eclipse’s loved and renowned milkshakes.

Additionally, the business serves a variety of breakfast items as well as sandwiches, salads and sweets.

Meri Moon can be found at 618 Main St. in Montevallo.