Tim Brehm, who has owned Java Joes since 2007, was on Fourth Street when the water main ruptured, which caused a small vibration and their table to lower.
Bill Stowe, of Des Moines Water Works, said though all the Fourth Street businesses were inconvenienced, he was most concerned about Java Joes’ accessibility.
He said after the main broke, the water traveled south, spilling out next to a Bosnian food vendor, Papillion, near The Randolph.
Java Joe’s is a regular at the Farmers’ Market and plans to be there next Saturday, if there is a spot for them, considering there is a hole in their usual location.
Foss said there are about 30 vendors on Fourth Street each Saturday, about 20 of which are regulars.
Some vendors brought their items into Java Joe’s, since they couldn’t bring their cars to the area.
Brehm said Java Joe’s employees spent the rest of Saturday in the Fourth Street location, answering calls and letting people know they still have two other Des Moines locations for their coffee needs — at 620 Cherry St. and 4944 Douglas Ave. Java Joe’s was able to open Sunday, and they were well-equipped, thanks to the catering side of the business.
They are able to hook up their machines to bottled water, so they can avoid using city water over the course of the 72-hour boil advisory the area is under.
Stowe said the burst was caused by an aging infrastructure, saying the main on Fourth Street may have been placed in 1900.
Much of the city’s piping system is built of cast iron that needs to be replaced.