Beach Bums, 611 S. Illinois Av., has closed because of lack of business caused by the new bar entry age and increasing popularity of house parties, the establishment’s owner Roland Davis says.

Beach Bums, formerly an alcohol establishment, became a juice bar after the bar entry age was raised to twenty. However, Davis said the establishment could not compete with the parties that serve alcohol.

We had to close because we could not compete with the house parties. When the house parties charge $3 for beer cups all night long we just could not compete with that, Davis said.

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The City of Carbondale voted to make a special entertainment ordinance requiring Beach Bums to close at 2 a.m., which Davis said hurt the establishment.

The ordinance did not help my establishment since the house parties do not break up until 1:30 a.m. and we had to close at 2 a.m., Davis said. The City Council failed to see this would happen, but a whole new strip is being formed on Beverage Street. Under-age drinking is not being helped by the bar entry age.

Davis said he has owned Beach Bums since 1993 and will be helping the new owner of the coffee house, opening at the location vacated by Beach Bums, get established.

We named it Java because it has the best liquid bean in town, Mike Mills, manager of the future coffee house, said.

Mills said Java will welcome students to come to come to the establishment and study.

This is going to be a place where students can relax by playing pool in between classes or by drinking coffee. We will have bulletin boards where study groups can come in and post items to study, Mills said.

Mills said Java is opening Sept. 25 and will advertise their grand opening as soon as a date is set.

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We are planing on having open jam sessions, and we are still deciding if we are going to show old movies or not. We will be open decent hours during the week and longer during finals, Mills said.

Mills said if Java goes over well, the shop owners will consider opening coffee houses on other college campuses.