While some may still think of the building at 870 Merrimon Avenue as Mountain Java, the coffee shop and café had its grand reopening back in May. Now named Edna’s of Asheville new-ish owners Tom Cash and Mike Zukoski delight in turning the venerable shop into more of a neighborhood hangout.
The hours are longer. More food is on the menu. And beer and wine have been added to the varied coffee-based drinks. Mike also noted that they make the best mimosas in town.
The atmosphere is casual. Nearly 20 tables with accompanying chairs fill the inside along with a loveseat and a couple of armchairs near the fireplace. Outside is a patio, which can seat about 20 people and is dog friendly. One advantage over downtown cafes and coffee shops is the free parking.
Tom Cash, a former Starbucks executive, and Mike Zukoski, a civil engineer with a background at Disney Resorts and the City of Long Beach, California, had planned to visit Asheville on an East Coast trip, but did so earlier than expected. “We got stuck in Houston so we asked if there were any flights even close to Raleigh, thinking we could drive the rest of the way. Tom and Mike caught a flight to Asheville the next morning and fell in love with the place. They immediately started looking for a home.
Both with strong backgrounds in retail and specifically coffee and coffee-roasting, Edna’s of Asheville and Bad Puppy Roasting was born, named after their beloved pet pug, Edna. The coffee shop now features an expanded food menu with a variety of sandwiches and salads, hours into the evening that offer a cafe atmosphere with live entertainment—and with that, a variety of wine and local beer on tap.
“Edna’s is a local business, born with the help of Mountain BizWorks and our strong desire to become a contributor to this already amazing community,” says Tom. “We strive to maintain the standards people expect, we roast our coffee several times a week for freshness, all baked goods and pastries are in-house, it’s details like that we hope will encourage people to make Edna’s their neighborhood meeting place and home away from home.”
Edna’s of Asheville, located at 870 Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville, is open seven days a week, 365 days a year 6 a.m.-10 p.m. For more information, call 828.255.3881, email info@ ednasofasheville.com, or visit its Edna’s.