A national tanning salon chain is coming to Charleston and will offer a variety of different services for students and residents.

Urmish Patel, the director of operations for L.A. Tan, said the corporation would build a café and tanning salon in the vacant Harrison’s Cycling and Fitness Building, 303 Lincoln Ave., located across the street from Arby’s.

The café will serve organic coffee, tea, smoothies and frozen yogurt with organic toppings.

He said L.A. Tan would separate the Harrison’s building, and make the tanning salon and café independent from each other.

Patel said L.A. Tan, which has salons throughout the Chicagoland area, Indiana and Ohio, opened similar cafés around Chicago.

“It is going to be something unique,” Patel said.

He said the café would draw Charleston consumers seeking a healthier lifestyle, adding L.A. Tan recognized a need for healthier food items in Coles County.

Patel said preliminary construction has started on the Harrison’s building, with both stores expected to open by the end of October.

As for the salon, L.A. Tan will join a crowded market.

Charleston has nine different businesses that offer indoor tanning.

Patel said corporate headquarters decided to build in Charleston. L.A. Tan was looking to build a business in Charleston three years ago, but delayed the plan because of ongoing expansion in Chicago, he said.

Employees, who worked at salons in Chicago and left to go to school at Eastern, sparked the idea to build a business in Charleston, Patel said.

“Whenever they came back for break, they would tell us we should open up a store,” he said.

Patel said that, aside from students, he expects permanent Charleston and Mattoon residents to take a likening to both businesses, adding that residents deserved a tanning salon with national exposure.

Stephen Di Benedetto can be reached at 581-7942 or at sdibenedetto@eiu.edu.