At the end of the semester, The DePauw reported that the Downtown Deli would be closing for good. But during the holiday break, Joe Garrison bought the restaurant in the hopes of keeping it open.
"At the last minute, I had a couple of folks step up and say hey we're interested in buying it cause it's just a place we hate to see close," previous owner Lynda Dunbar said.
Dunbar said that the tough economy - and not competition from the new Starbucks alone - was the cause of its initial closing.
"Food costs keep going up. There is only a certain amount of money people are able to spend on eating out," Dunbar said. "People were making the choice, whether they were going to come over and have a sandwich, and spend the five dollars, or go over and have a coffee."
Now Garrison, who bought the Deli from Dunbar in December, is up to grapple with economic challenges.
"I just really like the atmosphere, the historical building, the food, everything," Garrison said. "I didn't want to see it close."
Garrison's fondness of the Downtown Deli is also what has inspired him to keep almost everything about the restaurant the same including the menu, the staff and the one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
However, the name will be changed once again.
"Deli reminded me of go in and get three pounds of salami," Garrison said. "I didn't want it to sound like a deli, it's a café."
Which is exactly why the name has been changed to The Downtown Café, instead of The Downtown Deli. Another change that might occur is a restructuring of the delivery route.
"We have an opportunity to deliver to students, so we don't know if we're going down that avenue," said Candice Torres, an employee of the restaurant.
The Downtown Café already delivers to Ivy Tech Community College Monday through Thursday, and Torres said that weekend deliveries to DePauw could be next.
"We know peoples' pocketbooks are going down, not up, so we don't want to up our prices," said Torres.
Garrison also said he is hoping not to raise prices.
Even though Garrison has no previous experience in the restaurant industry, he seems optimistic for the future of The Downtown Café. For him, gaining ownership of the Downtown Café is something he has dreamed of doing.
"Since I've retired from the military, I've been wanting to get into the public sector," Garrison said.
Garrison also has a full-time job at the Plainfield Correctional Facility in addition to owning the Downtown Café and Greencastle Furniture.
Like Garrison, many of the employees at the Downtown Cafe have multiple jobs. But despite their busy schedules, they will continue to uphold the small town charm the Downtown Café is known for.