Heard on the Street: Name change is brewing at two Rochester coffee shops

Change is brewing and will be served up to Rochester's coffee-fueled commuters Friday morning.

Rochester's two Java Detourdrive-through coffee shops are starting fresh under the new name of Moka.

That means the Java Detourbrand is taking the exit out of Rochester and Moka is the mystery name that has been hinted at by baristas for weeks.

Joan Wilson, who owns the coffee stops on North Broadway and 12th Street Southeast, is leaving behind the franchise name and is creating her own brand … Moka.

The name change will be the only major change. A new supplier will provide the coffee that will be served up in the familiar ways. Staffing — about 20 in Rochester — will remain the same.

Melany Ramirez, who manages the North Broadway location, says both shops will close early today — 3 p.m. — to prepare for the switch.

They will re-open at the usual time Friday morning.

Wilson also owns two coffee stops in La Crosse, Wis., and one in Madison, Wis. Those also will shed the Java Detour brand and go under the new name of Moka.

New path

A Rochester business that helps its customers walk more comfortably is preparing to take a new path this summer.

The Good Feet Storewill continue to provide custom-sized arch supports in the Apache Shoppesretail center for the next three months.

At the start of June, owner Carol Brannonwill walk the business over to a new home in the Stone Crossingcommercial building at 1221 Third Ave. S.W.

That's the former KOLM radio stationbuilding that was revamped by Lori and Ron Reinaldain 2008. It is near the Crossroads Shopping Centerand the south Hy-Veestore.

Brannon says Apache Shoppes has been a good spot since opening in 2006. However she thinks Stone Crossing will offer better accessibility and space to better suit her needs.

"I'm a destination store. I think this will be a better fit for us," she says.

Brannon has two on staff besides herself.

Subway-level eye-wear store expands again

A couple is seeing their business vision come into focus after finishing a second expansion, just a year after opening in downtown Rochester.

Marcus and Tammie Parrishare putting the finishing touches on the new, larger showroom in their Eye Q Intelligent Eye Wearstore in the subway of the Kahler Grand Hotel.

Marcus Parrish say the couple are very happy with how their plans are working out.

They opened their specialty eye wear, prescription and sunglasses shop in a mere 400 square feet of space last year.

Now their brightly colored store occupies 1,300-square-feet, near Carroll's Corn and the under-construction Carroll's Cup yogurt shop, in the subway.

"People have really responded well to how we do things," he says. "And they seem to like the products that we have that are completely unique to this area."

In fact, the Parrishes just added a new line of prescription and sunglasses frames to their showroom that cannot be found anywhere else.

That's because the duo designed the 12 frames that make up the Eye-Q Originals line.

"A retro-themed take on geek chic" is how he describes the style of the frames created specially for their store.

While local shoppers are just being introduced to Eye-Q Originals, Parrish says the shop's most popular line of eye wear is called Alain Mikli. It is hand-made and comes from France.

"It is slightly on the outrageous side," he says.

As if expanding their business was not enough to keep them occupied, the young eye wear experts also expanded their their family in 2010.

Now customers can often find their young son Carter "helping" out in the showroom or in the couple's new workroom in the back.