May's Cafe Brings Heyn's Ice Cream to Wedge Space Vacated by Capanna

Wedge owner Steve Harding said he could think of a quieter time to try to start a new coffee shop in a popular study spot than the week before finals.

Like, perhaps, anytime else in the year.

But May's Cafe survived its transition into the new space, taking over as the coffee and coffee and treat vendor in the spot vacated by Capanna abutting the Downtown Wedge Pizzeria on the Pedestrian Mall.

"We've kind of got our feet under us here now and we're going to see how it goes," Harding said.

Harding said after pondering for awhile on what to replace Capanna's gelato with he settled upon locally made Heyn's Ice Cream, which has a well trafficked location on the east side of town. The fact that the May's Cafe location gives Heyn's a foothold in downtown Iowa City and Heyn's gives May's a beloved local brand to sell made it a good fit for both parties, he said.

"There are people who come in and are disappointed that the gelato is gone, but when you tell them about the Heyn's ice cream their eyes just light up," Harding said.

May's Cafe offers 24 of Heyn's flavors, which is slightly fewer than what is offered at the east side location at any given time. The sizes of the containers and the prices, however, are exactly the same at both locations.
A unique item featured at May's Caffe is affogato: an ice cream flavor of your choice in a bowl that is then doused with espresso. It's like a root beer float, that will keep you awake quite awhile longer.

As for coffee, Harding says May's is providing some Capanna blends, along with Intelligensia Coffee, Kickapoo Coffee, and Cafe del Sol espresso. He said the new coffee spot will try some different blends this summer before settling on a full lineup.

Like many things about May's Cafe, the time over the summer after the hectic switch over during early May will serve as a time to sort things out. Harding said that there won't be any major changes to the spot in the foreseeable future, however.

One last note: Harding said May's Cafe got its name in honor of his great aunt May, who used to spoil the visiting children when she asked

"Do you want syrup or powered sugar on your pancakes?"

And they would yell:

"We want both!"

Inspiring Harding's sweet tooth that long time ago.