Mineola resident Christian Crespo may be only 26 years old and admittedly doesn't have experience running a business but that isn't stopping him from remaining optimistic that his dream of opening a café in Mineola will become a reality.

Crespo is awaiting a decision from the Village of Mineola Board of Trustees on whether he can open his MUD café on the corner of Second Street and Mineola Boulevard. The decision could come this week.

As a student at New York University, Crespo said he was a coffee drinker and New York City has a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts on practically every corner. But for Crespo, it was the MUD truck parked at the Astor Place Subway station that quenched the need for a good cup of coffee.

MUD founders Nina and Greg Northrop began with a truck, selling gourmet coffee in the East Village. The coffee became so popular with long lines forming of New Yorkers satisfying their need for coffee that a café was opened on 9th Street in Manhattan. What Crespo wants to do is bring the idea to Mineola, where he envisions commuters, Winthrop Hospital workers and families coming in to enjoy a cup of coffee, salad, sandwich or bowl of soup.

"I'm looking for it to be a very inviting place for both residents and people who are passing through," said Crespo, who moved into his grandmother's house on Maple Place about a year ago.

With the idea for a café and the backing of MUD, Crespo began searching for a place, which he found in Mineola at the location of the former Winthrop Diabetes Center. The location, near the entrance of the Mineola Train Station, seems to be exactly what Crespo is looking for. All he needed to open the café was a special use permit from the Village of Mineola.

Crespo appeared before the village board last month during a hearing in which he presented his idea for a café that will also serve as a meeting place for people of all ages. He also plans on making the café into a sort of cultural center and envisions displaying the work of local artists or authors. As he says, "You could be in the middle of a conversation or in the corner reading a book."

But Crespo's plan and idea has been met with some resistance. At the hearing, the owners from local eateries such as the Gourmet Grill, the Second Street Deli and Kuck's Delicatessen urged the board to deny the application. Although these eateries have established a home in Mineola, where they provide quality food, the owners' fears are that another establishment would cut into their business, making it more difficult to make a living in a world where taxes and expenses are ever increasing. However, the village board cannot deny the application to protect the interests of other businesses. The application can be denied if the board deems the establishment to negatively impact the community.

At the hearing, there were some concerns over whether a café would add to the congestion in a highly traveled intersection. However, Crespo believes his café would be an enhancement in the area and while he says he would offer takeout, he would prefer customers to come in and stay. He also plans on staying open until 11 p.m. or midnight well past the time that other area establishments have closed.

While Crespo may not have the experience in running a business, he seems to have done his homework when it comes to planning. Attending some of the village board's hearing on the Master Plan, Crespo tried to make the café fit in with the village's vision for the downtown area.

With a dream of owning a café, Crespo is willing to take a chance that his dream will succeed but the village board will ultimately decide if MUD is right for the proposed location or if he will need to search for another property.