The Mud House extends brand

Rick Andrews, who co-owns the Mud House and its alcohol-serving sibling, the Mud Lounge, 321 E. Walnut, said he and partners Brian King and Robert Weislocher wanted to test the licensing market as a way of expanding the Mud House brand.

“We’re very proud when people see the Mud House logo of what they think of,” Andrews said. “They smell the coffee and they think of the quality and the price.”

So when Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship at Missouri State University approached them about using their name and products, Andrews and company seized the opportunity.

The Mud House at the Hub, a nonprofit campus ministry at 680 S. Florence opening Sept. 12, will combine coffee and live music on occasion. The Mud House will provide products to Chi Alpha at wholesale cost.

“This will give us a good starter to see if this is something we want to get into,” Andrews said.

Chi Alpha campus ministries director Noble Bowman said the coffee shop will appeal to both Christians and non-Christians.

“We’re trying to make it not necessarily a Christian coffee house,” he said, “but more just a gathering place. The ministry, for the most part, will happen in the other parts of the building.”

The Mud House in May closed a location at 518 E. Central, near Drury University, even though business remained strong. Andrews said the location didn’t have enough parking.

For the full story from the Sept. 12 issue of SBJ, click here.