Java Joint, a longtime hangout for youths in downtown St. Cloud, will close Thursday. But the owners say the coffee shop and music venue isn’t closing for good.Â

Owners Troy Cagle and Shawn Kroll said they still are looking for a new location and are optimistic they will reopen before the school year begins. Cagle and Kroll learned in January that their lease at

710 St. Germain St.

would not be renewed by property owner B.K. Foley development group, which bought the building in December.Â

Cagle said they would like to stay in downtown St. Cloud. Java Joint, which opened in 1990, has catered to young people at night, holding all-ages shows featuring rock, emo and punk bands.Â

Dan Borgert, chief executive of B.K. Foley, said in April that the nonrenewal of the lease was part of a desire to change the atmosphere and environment in the area. The development group is renovating the building, adding a second-floor apartment and remodeling the first floor to allow a retail tenant to move in by fall. B.K. Foley hopes to secure a tenant by midsummer. On Monday during the Downtown Council board meeting, three Java Joint employees including Cagle voiced their concerns about the Java Joint leaving downtown. Cagle said with the construction of the skate park in the Lake George area, it would be ideal for Java Joint to stay downtown to serve those youths.Â

“It’s a safe haven for kids to go,” Cagle said. “We just want them to have a place to go.” Board members listened to Cagle, but they said they cannot tell property owners who they can or cannot rent to in downtown St. Cloud.Â

Pegg A.K. Gustafson, the council’s executive director, said she has received calls in the past from business owners and customers who feel intimidated near the Java Joint because of the level of activity in front of the building. The council’s mission is to support downtown businesses, and it can help with business recruitment, but it cannot dictate what private property owners do with their properties, she said.Â

Cagle said he appreciates the changes that have happened downtown and hopes that Java Joint could be a part of it.Â

Cagle said they have spoke with several property owners in the downtown area, but have no concrete prospects yet. He said many property owners in downtown have turned them down to rent property — because the property owners are looking at other tenants.

“Downtown is evolving and we would like to evolve with it,” Cagle said. Cagle said the relocation will give the business an opportunity to upgrade its atmosphere and amenities. Plans include improving the menu with additions such as deli sandwiches, organic food items and more free-trade coffee.Â

The owners are considering expanding the music variety, adding jazz trios to the list of performers. Three investors have expressed interest in the business once the owners find a new location, Cagle said.Â

Pete Wilson and Stephanie Goldstein opened Java Joint downtown, near Hemsing’s Deli. Cagle and Kroll bought the business in 2001. It has been at its current location since 1994.Â

“It doesn’t matter where we are going to go,” Cagle said. “The kids are going to follow us.”