March 29, 2024

New ‘Star’ in town

Southern Star Coffee and More opens in Murray

MURRAY – Reach for the stars. Murray has a new business in town – Southern Star Coffee and More.

“We’re southern Iowa, and the goal of Southern Star Coffee and More is to shine a light on Murray,” said Tom Beougher, co-owner of the business.

Beougher co-owns Southern Star with Rose Webb. He bought the building located at 401 Maple St. in April and has been working on the interior and exterior for a couple of months.

The cafe offers coffee, cappuccino, hot chocolate, soft drinks, fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, breakfast rolls, brats and hot dogs.

There is a lunch special available, and at the time of interview, that day’s special was fish and chips. They are also in the process of putting in a daycare center, as well as revamping and expanding the kitchen.

Food, entertainment options

Beougher said he wanted to offer Murray something other than the local Casey’s General Store.

“Nothing against Casey’s,” he joked. “But, they want something more. They want something different.”

When looking at several buildings in the southern Iowa area, Beougher knew he wanted something that would allow for a production studio in the back. His background also includes video and television production.

There are plans to open a small, community movie theater in the back of the business to expand the idea of dinner and a movie.

The goal is to start showing movies in September, when school starts back in session and people get back into a regular routine.

Beougher said Southern Star will show a movie a couple times per month.

“They will be a really great selection of new release DVDs,” he said.

Plans include having a Saturday matinee for children or evening family movie. He also mentioned showing classics from the 1940s and 1950s that an older generation can enjoy.

Stop by sometime

There’s still a lot to come with Southern Star Coffee and More, especially since it only opened Saturday, July 30.

Right now, the hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. The store is closed Mondays.

However, since the business is still new, the hours could be adjusted, especially on Sundays for the pre- and post-church crowds.

Southern Star seeks to provide a friendly, warm and welcoming atmosphere for the southern Iowa crowd.

“(I like) just talking to people in the community and interacting with people,” Beougher said. “We’re just in the beginning stages.”