A coffee shop with Eastern European flair has opened on Bend’s west side while an Italian cafe in the Old Mill has changed hands.

Kava, which means coffee in Czechoslovakian, has opened at the corner of College Way and Newport Avenue.

Owner Shirley Weber, said she named the shop after her European ancestry.

Although she is originally from Portland, her parents are from the Czech Republic.

”I remember my mother would say, now let’s have a Kaficko (little coffee),” Weber said.

Weber owned a drive-thru coffee shop in Sisters for five years before opening her store in the new retail development on Bend’s west side.

”Sisters is a very touristy town,” Weber said. ”It wasn’t very feasible to open a coffee shop there.”

Weber said she is happy with the new location, which is just down the road from Central Oregon Community College.

The shop opened two weeks ago and Weber is looking forward to a new diner and Mexican restaurant opening in the same building later this year.

In addition to iced and hot coffee drinks, Weber’s shop offers wraps and soups for lunch and Moonstruck Chocolates from Portland.

The shop is a wireless hotspot to cater to college students and business people.

”I’m wireless, so kids can bring their laptops in here until 9 every night,” Weber said.

The shop is open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

A few miles away, in the Old Mill, Cafe Bellisimo, which offers Italian coffee and food items, has changed hands.

Owner Stacey Nichols put the cafe up for sale for a few weeks and was contemplating leaving the business altogether because of delays in attaining a liquor license and a drop in customers during the winter months.

Nichols instead sold the business to a new owner, Arlie Hutchens, but is still going to be involved in the day-to-day operations.

”I’m going to make this place work,” Nichols said.

Nichols said she is expecting to get a beer and wine license by Valentines Day and has hired a chef from Paris who is creating a new menu.

”We are making the menu as we speak,” Nichols said. ”Next week, we should have the whole dinner menu made.”

Nichols also wants to bring in blues bands and is creating a Web site for the eatery that will feature the new menu items.

Kristy Hessman can be reached at 541-383-0350 or at khessman@bendbulletin.com.