by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Ancient Thebes is coming to Main Street.
Layfette and Langston Williams, brothers and business partners in a downtown venture called Souls on Ice Cafe and Bookstore, plan to create a center where the past and the future blend.
Once a mecca of knowledge, the City of Thebes gave the brothers inspiration for their store. The name came from a more contemporary source.
“‘Soul on Ice’ was a book written by Eldridge Cleaver,” said Layfette Williams.
“It’s about being cool [at peace] with the place you are in your life and we wanted it to be a cool place.”
Murals depicting historical figures and flags from around the world will decorate the walls to lend a multi-cultural flair. Carpeting, a skylight, an outdoor marquee and a fish tank will be built into the wall to enhance the effect. A stage for jazz and blues musicians, movie equipment and 10 computers with DSL lines are also part of the business plan.
Souls on Ice will be located in a condemned building, which the two brothers are renovating. July is the tentative opening date.
“It is very dilapidated,” said Lafayette Williams. “There were holes in the ceiling, we had to fight the rats and two to three tons of garbage have to be moved out.”
Espresso, cappuccino, bagels, soups, subs and salads will be on the menu. There will also be a news stand, featuring an extensive collection of books and music.
Short of cash but long on determination, the brothers met with members of City Council, Bethel Baptist Church and the African-American Chamber of Commerce, who referred them to the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission for help.
“We’re looking to the wisdom of past visionaries to bring our vision to pass,” said Williams.
The JEDC requires an outlay of 10 percent of the project’s cost — which translates into $18,000 — before it will assist in defraying expenses, quite a bit for two guys working at Citibank. Securing grant money is not the only obstacle, though.
“Personnel, advertising and the planning aspects we will be able to handle,” said Williams. “The only problem I see is that you have to defy ignorance. It’s going to be progressive so people may not be ready for it, but they will once they see how it helps the community.”
Community outreach will include working with Citibank on its charitable projects, hiring residents in the vicinity, donating profits to the Sickle Cell Foundation, booking lecturers to speak on leadership issues and instructing neighborhood children about their heritage.