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‘‘It’s really important when you have a small community like this that you have options like this other than 7-11,” said customer Margaret Addis, who works nearby in the county’s Office of Law. ‘‘It’s got so much character and flair. You feel immediately comfortable and at home.”

Michelle Wiggs of Clinton opened this business, her first, about seven months ago after more than two decades of working as an accountant. She said a prayer and fasted for six weeks before making the decision, then spent two years researching the business of running a coffeehouse.

The fruit of that research — or the result of the prayer — is evident when one walks into More Than Coffee! Lounge. Wiggs’ foyer has artsy tables with information and brochures — and coffee beans whose aroma wafts over you — as well as artwork hanging on deep yellow walls. Inside, the décor is cozy and eclectic, with delicate hanging lamps lighting the counter and a chocolate-brown ceiling calming down the yellow walls.

In the front section customers can dine at small tables, but further in, a room of deep brown leather sofas, suede chairs, glass tables with chess and checkers sets, a magazine rack and a small fiction collection invite them to stay awhile, relax and enjoy themselves.

‘‘The coffee for me is sort of the byproduct,” Wiggs said. ‘‘I wanted to [create an environment] where ... if you need to get away from the office for a minute, you can come here, sit down, read the paper, have a cup of coffee, maybe a dessert.”

Wiggs also holds ‘‘Hot Coffee ... Cool Jazz” nights on the second and third Friday of each month. And the lounge’s community spirit is growing, too. Customer Tanya Bosier and her husband became regulars at the shop after Wiggs placed a box in her window to help collect donations for an annual toy drive Bosier participates in.

‘‘She was very professional and willing help the community,” Bosier said. ‘‘We love the ambiance, the coffee, and most of all, the service. Michelle truly has a vision for her shop and I believe that everything she envisions will come to pass.”

That vision includes more than ambience, though. For example, one of customer Michelle Coffee’s favorite things about the lounge is the use of organic ingredients.

Coffee visits three times a week, she said, and drinks the latte ($2.90 to $3.50) and the Morning Eye Opener (signature blend with espresso, $2.05 to $2.55).

‘‘They are both delicious,” Coffee said. ‘‘The organic coffee tastes so much better than chemically treated coffee.”

Wiggs’ ‘‘signature blend” is her own original medium mixture of Indonesian Sumatran, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, and Guatemalan.

Aside from the Acquittal, her signature drinks include the Triple Threat, Guilty Pleasure, The Truth, and a Main Street Mocha ($3.35 to $4.15).

But, being ‘‘More Than Coffee!” she offers alternatives such as Chai spiced tea ($2.30-$2.95), which Addis said was the most ‘‘rejuvenating” drink she had tried there, as well as other teas, cool and iced coffee drinks and natural fruit smoothies. All the caffeine drinks can be served decaffeinated as well.

Wiggs also sells soups, and freshly baked breads, cakes, cookies and pastries from a local bakery — her shelves are loaded with decadent desserts and generously sized baked goods — as well as Haagen-Dazs ice cream and sorbets.

More Than Coffee! Lounge also provides time for private parties, as well as custom catering. Wiggs sells coffee cups, mugs, gift cards and more, and offers wireless internet connection.

So there is something for everyone at this lounge — you can hold a meeting, enjoy a hot soup and magazine by yourself, or just run in and grab a coffee before heading off again.

Addis said her entire office gives gift certificates to Wiggs’ lounge as holiday gifts.

‘‘The community has to rally around this sort of locally created and locally run establishments to give our communities character,” she said.