Imagine walking into a coffee shop and being greeted, not only with the aroma of fresh coffee, but with a visual masterpiece.

After glancing at the menu consisting of wide array of drinks, many of which have been imported from California, an assortment of wraps, and some salads, a visitor wanders up to the counter to order. This counter is only waist high! So instead of yelling an order over a 5-foot-tall counter designed to keep the customer at bay, the visitor actually speaks to the person who will make his sandwich and drink to order.

Nothing in this coffee shop matches, in the traditional sense. The right wall is painted blue with trees that grow from the floor and are about as high as the tables. The front wall is a mural by Kevin Ho. The left wall also contains a ten foot mural by Ho and the back wall is covered in the writings and marks of past visitors.

This place, the Coffee Klatch on Concord Street in Framingham, is a long cry from commonplace coffee shops such as Starbucks or the one in Borders. The Klatch has a unique menu, a distinctsense of style, interesting art and music, and a relaxed atmosphere, which creates a wonderful place for college students to frequent.

The Coffee Klatch, whose name means a social gathering for informal conversation at which coffee is served, opened in June, 2000 and is owned by two men, Vinney Rucker and Patrick Young.

"We really try to set up something you couldn't find anywhere," Rucker said. That is exactly what Rucker and Young have done, starting with the menu.

The wide range of drinks at the Klatch is rare for any restaurant and would satisfy the choosiest set of taste buds.

There are eighteen types of tea, a variety of espressos and coffees, several frozen drinks, five types of hot chocolate, and sodas imported from California. Flavoring can also be added to any drink to make your own, unique blend.

"It's nice and smooth and relaxing," said customer Lynn Norton of the coffee.

"They don't serve anything in here stronger han coffee," Jim Blackler said. This is why all ages can enjoy everything the Klatch has to offer.

Besides the multitude of drinks the Klatch also offers a variety of wraps. There are six types of stuffing ranging from ham and cheese to hummus and taboli. The customer can also choose if he wants the stuffing rolled in a spinach, a tomato, or a traditional wrap. It is possible to mix and match 18 different types of wraps.

For a lighter meal, three types of salads are offered; house, Greek, and chef.

Finally, to top it all off, you still have to choose a dessert. There are a variety of pastries, brownies, and cookies sitting in the display shelves below the counter, just begging to be eaten.

Everything in the Klatch's menu is priced fewer than five dollars- an inexpensive meal even a college student can afford.

There are several pieces of art in the Coffee Klatch. Some are for sale and others are painted right on the walls.

"If you look at the art," Rucker said, "it's centered around schools."

The right wall of the coffee shop is dedicated to students artwork from three schools: Framingham High School, Keefe Tech, and Framingham State College. Keefe Tech, and Framingham State College.

FSC artist David Kazukiewicz has a handful of his paintings on display. The space the Klatch donated provides Kazukiewicz the opportunity to expose new people to his art and it acts as a venue to sell his work.

Kazukiewicz is the only FSC artist taking advantage of the Klatch's offer to display the work of FSC students.

For those artists who want to leave a more permanent mark on the Klatch, Rucker and Young donate 10 foot sections of the wall above the counter, which is opposite the wall containing studentsŐ artwork. Rucker said all he asks for is a sketch so he knows what will be going on the wall. The Klatch provides the space and the ladder, and the artist provides the rest.

Ho, who created the colorful painting that covers the front of the store, also painted the first of what the owners hopes will become a series of murals by different artists. Ho, an Ashland resident who is applying to FSC, has done other works like those in the Klatch during the three years after graduation he spent in Los Angeles, California.

Ho describes the Klatch as "a wonderful place to be. It's a place to kick back, have fun, and play pool."

The stage tucked in the front corner of the Klatch showcases local talent at night, Monday through Saturday. The stage's placement allows for passers-by to see the talent through the window and everyone inside the Klatch, no matter where they sit or stand, can easly see the stage.

Monday nights are poetry nights at the Klatch.

Dr. Mark Seiden read there a few times and said, "I think it's wonderful that a coffee house with a culture-sharing concept has sprung up in Framingham.

"It's a nice performance space and it's a great opportunity for people in music or poetry to perform in a space beyond the college," Seiden said. He hopes that students will take advantage of the Klatch.

Tuesday night at theKlatch is open mic night. This is when local talent can take the stage and perform for an attentive audience.

"It's a great place for networking with local musicians," said Lynn Norton, who has been a regular since the Klatch opened. She also commented on "the openness of the owners to let the people be creative."

"It [the Klatch] needs to get more exposure. We have some musical talent here," Tina Ferrara, pianist for Devotchka, said.

One FSC band, Soulacious, plays at the Klatch most Thursday nights at 8:30 p.m. The band consists of Joe Sorrentino, guitar and lead vocals, Kris McMullin, lead guitar, Jimi Parmenter, bass and background vocals and James Santosuosso, drums.

Santosuosso describes their music as a "pop/rock/blues thing."

Soulacious started playing at the Klatch in August. After spending many nights performing at the Klatch, Santosuosso said, "It [has] a completely differ ent atmosphere." He enjoys the audience interaction that the Klatch promotes, because the people are able to sit close to the stage.

Santosuosso also commented on how welcoming the Klatch is and said, "Vinney's [Rucker] been great to us. I wish we could return the favor by getting more people down there."

Rucker admits that it is a challenge, however, to find responsible bands that choose to choose to show up.

The variety of entertainment at the relaxed atmosphere in the Klatch attracts "a great dichotomy of people," Rucker said. "We're not stuck catering to one group of people."

Rucker said that most of the morning crowd consists of commuters either coming into or leaving Framingham.

Dr. Joseph D'Andrea, an FSC philosophy professor, is one of those commuters. He stops by the Klatch for his morning cup of coffee after stepping off the commuter rail.

"[The Klatch] has the signature of the owners on it. It [also] doesn't have the fast paced clip you find in other coffee shops," D'Andrea said.

The relaxed atmosphere makes anyone feel at home. The Klatch is "an extension of someone's family, without the TV," Rucker said.

Many customers come here, not only for the food and entertainment, but also to play. There is a dartboard, a pool table, a foosball table, and board games which can be taken back to your table.

The game area is in the back of the Klatch and on the surrounding walls are where customers can leave their mark by writing or drawing on the graffiti walls.

The graffiti walls typify everything that the Coffee Klatch stands for.

"Everything in this place is incomplete in one way shape or form," Rucker said. He hopes that every time someone visits there is something different going on.

So why not go and see what is happening at the Coffee Klatch today? It's an ideal place to kick back, do some homework, chat with friends, or listen to the local talent.