While downtown Washington has its share of banks and second-hand stores, an interesting addition has made Main Street a place to visit again.

Its newest addition is MaxCafe. Here, one can enjoy a cup of gourmet coffee, a bowl of freshly made soup, or just relax and listen to the SIRIUS Satellite music playing throughout the day.

Amy Stuffle, the owner, said she had always wanted to own a “funky coffee shop.” After thinking about it for about 10 years, she finally opened her shop. She named it after her brother, Max Stuffle, who was in a severe accident when he was younger but has not let that interfere with him being a good person.

“He is an amazing person, and always in a good mood,” Stuffle said. “He is an example of what life can be like no matter what life sends your way.”

Stuffle and her husband, Eric Heister, bought the building and renovated it. They restored the original tin ceiling and found the original front metal entrance grate from when the building was Smith’s Grocery Store in the early 1940s. It now is placed right inside the doorway to “provide a great place to stomp your feet.”

“A lot of business owners have come in here and said, ‘Wow,’” said Stuffle. “It can be done.”

Stuffle said that the building hadn’t been worked on in about 25 years.

Heister grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., and was surprised when he moved to Washington about three years ago and found no coffee shops. He said he missed the coffee shops from where he grew up and wanted to bring a piece of his home here to Washington.

“We really wanted to do something for the community,” Stuffle said. “Washington needed a coffee shop.”

There is free wireless Internet, or WiFi, so laptops can get online without any wires. Also, live music will be played Friday and Saturday nights from local musicians. Heister said nearly 50 people have already offered to play music.

“Our main objective was to have a cool place where people could hang out,” Stuffle said. “We like to feature different artists and different musicians.”

One musician, Miles Rodimel, who works at the coffee shop, sings and plays guitar most Friday and Saturday nights.

“I have always wanted to work at a coffee shop and play my music,” Rodimel said. “I would love to see many, many more people come out and play.”

MaxCafe serves cups of fresh ground gourmet, organic or hazelnut coffee. Also available for the children are juices and soft drinks. The food menu includes homemade chicken noodle soup, potato soup, chili, brownies, cookies and biscotti. In the summer, salads and fruit smoothies will also be available.

Also available at the shop is Superfood Nutrition. Stuffle and Heister have worked with clients, clinics and doctors for the past 20 years.