Moriarty Gets Coffeehouse, Bookseller
by John Weckerle
There’s a new coffeehouse in town, going by the name of Mustang Mudd’s. The cafe, with a bar for bellying up and seating for about 25 customers, is located in the rear portion of the building that now houses Le Barn Wild West Chic, Maggie’s Gifts, and the new bookseller.
Le Barn owner Maria Braendle describes the new configuration as a “women’s cooperative.” All the businesses are woman-owned, and are sharing space to help hold down costs and bring in more foot traffic for all the businesses. The offerings of the retail enterprises, which include (but certainly aren’t limited to) furniture, decor, gifts, books, magazines, and videos (most priced at $10 or less), provide a relatively complete suite of home living items. The coffee shop provides a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea – but that’s not where the experience ends.
Mustang Mudd’s will be the first coffee shop in the area to offer Wii tournaments. Equipped with a large screen television and a Nintendo Wii system, the cafe will offer a variety of tournaments will be held at the establishment. Ms. Braendle stresses that the target audience will not be children, but adults. The purpose, she says, is not to create a video arcade (which would not be compatible with the other enterprises located in the building), but to provide area residents with the opportunity to get together and have some fun. Different tournaments would be held on different nights, with the focus being on games that adults enjoy. If there is enough interest, Ms. Braendle intends to add additional screens as necessary.
The fun doesn’t stop there, though, and there is something for the kids, as well. The bookstore is scheduling children’s book readings on Sundays at 2 p.m. , beginning this Sunday, January 18.  For more information, contact the store at 832-9481. Le Barn and the other enterprises are located at 508 Route 66 in Moriarty, New Mexico just east of the U.S. Post Office.
One Response “Moriarty Gets Coffeehouse, Bookseller”
What a lovely idea – not just bookstore + coffee shop but the concept of this and other enterprises at this location being part of a women’s cooperative. I wish someone – or group of someones – would try something similar in Mountainair. There are unused storefronts on Broadway too large for a single small business but surely suitable for a handful of them.