Instead, there are soft couches, street-scene window booths and a relaxed ambiance that, for more than three years, has kept a steady stream of regulars coming through the bar/coffeehouse's Broad Street door.

Initially, the four Metro partners envisioned the establishment filling a different niche in the local market. Their feeling was that Metro's money would be made in the caffeine trade.

"It was going to be more of a traditional coffeehouse," said co-owner Kenny Morrison. "We figured 90 percent of the business would be coffee-based. It wasn't until we were doing the build-out on the place that we decided a safety net would be good and that we would sell beer, cocktails, things like that. We thought the bar end would just be icing on the cake. But instead, we've become more of a pub."

Although alcohol sales have gone a long way toward paying the Metro bills, it still retains much of its coffeehouse feel. Morning and afternoon hours will find a small but constant sprinkling of patrons studying, playing chess or just spending some quiet time decompressing. Metro co-owner Travis Petrea said people feel comfortable at Metro because the owners have never been able to agree on what the establishment should be.

"The four of us are so different in a million ways," he said with a laugh. "Everything here is a constant battle - the color of tables, booths, what music to play, even how to light the place. But the end result of that is Metro is a part of all of us. And because we are so different, because we are so far apart, it ends up working. It embraces everyone."

The Place: Metro A Coffeehouse, 1054 Broad St. (map)

Fashion Statement: Eclectic - pin-stripe suits and paint-spattered shorts are equally welcome

Drink of Choice: Metro makes a rock star martini

Theme Song: Perhaps something by Mr. Petrea's band Horsepower

It's a Fact: Metro opened for business on New Year's Eve 1999, arriving in Augusta with the new millennium.