A new coffee shop called Meri Moon has opened in Montevallo, located in the former Strand Theatre building on Main Street, and it carries echoes of the past.
Cheryl Patton, who founded Eclipse, a popular coffee shop and bookstore that closed in 2017 in Montevallo, has taken a leading role in Meri Moon.
Patton suggested the idea of a new coffee shop to Rachel Christine Phillips, formerly a bartender at Main Street Tavern, and they became business partners.
“Cheryl’s taking the daytime and I’m taking the nighttime for right now,” Phillips said. “She handles all the business side, and I will be operations. I couldn’t do this without her.”
Patton and Phillips signed a lease on the Strand in May and opened July 2. They’re expanding hours today, staying open until 8 p.m.
“It’s gone great,” Phillips said. “Doing the breakfast and lunch really got our staff ready to handle it. Tonight’s the first night we will have the bar open. I will be behind the bar. We have no idea how that will go.”
Phillips previously operated Meri May Boutique in Daphne before moving to Montevallo five years ago. She decided to go with Meri Moon as the name instead of Eclipse.
“The problem is, everyone knows Eclipse and what it was when it closed, and we’re not there yet,” Phillips said. “We are a new business, even though there was a business in place beforehand.”
The first week was overwhelming, and she expects it to get even more so as hours expand.
“Now, we’re going to get pressed on it,” Phillips said. “We’re going to learn even more this week than we did last week.”
She asks that customers be patient as the staff learns the ropes.
“I’m bracing for impact,” Phillips said. “I’m hoping that everyone gives us a little grace and understands that we’re new.”
Coffee, milkshakes and a relaxing atmosphere are the focus, along with a light, offbeat menu.
Some of it has echoes of the old Eclipse, such as the red pepper hummus dip.
“We have the hummus,” Phillips said. “Everyone has really enjoyed our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We have local peanut butter and local jelly.”
Eclipse was known for its eclectic menu that included milkshakes and pimento cheese sandwiches, along with a gourmet coffee selection.
For 16 years until 2017, Eclipse occupied a building that had a wraparound front porch and interior rooms stocked with books. It became a popular meeting and study venue for University of Montevallo students and a popular gathering spot for local residents.
The old theater building is just down the street. It was previously home to Baba Java, a coffee shop that closed in December 2023.
“We’re working out a lot of the kitchen kinks,” Phillips said. “It’s like taking a shower in someone else’s shower. You know the shampoo is there, you just don’t know where it is.”
Meri Moon will dare to be different.
“We started our Southern board and that was a big hit. It has the Conecuh (sausage), the pickles, the deviled eggs, the pimento cheese, the Fire Crackers, all your fun snack foods in one place,” Phillips said. “And then the waffles. Everybody has been so great. They have loved everything.”
Some classics have returned.
“Our girls have already started doing what Eclipse used to do, which is the employees get to come up with different milkshake recipes,” Phillips said. “They came up with the strawberry shortcake recipe.”
That also comes as a latte.
“The great thing about these milkshake recipes is you can get them as a coffee too, so you can get a milkshake or a latte,” Phillips said. “We’re doing the strawberry shortcake one this weekend.”
The Strand building allows for sidewalk patio seating out front, with three separate rooms inside that they hope will provide the same ambiance as the old Eclipse, Phillips said. The old ticket office is visible as you walk in on the right.
There are offbeat elements that you won’t find elsewhere.
“Boiled peanuts are going to be a big hit now that we’re opening up in the afternoon,” Phillips said. “My 10-year-old, that’s her favorite. Just put boiled peanuts in a bowl, and put them on a tray for people to put the shells on.”
Boiled peanuts at a coffee shop?
“Yeah, it’s really cool, and people love it, and it makes you want to drink more beer,” she said.
Or, give it a stylish twist.
“We have a wine coming tonight that actually pairs with our boiled peanuts,” Phillips said. “It’s a sparkling Malbec from Argentina. It pairs with our boiled peanuts really well.”
Even though she was previously a bartender, Phillips won’t be keeping the bar open late.
“We are open 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday,” she said. “Everything will be closed at 8.”
The Meri Moon occupies the former Strand Theatre space in Montevallo. (Photo by Greg Garrison/AL.com)ggarrison@al.com
