As a child, Jim Morris used visit the Paris Restaurant and Soda Shoppe at 220 E. Main St. with his friends. They would watch the soda being made and sit in the high backed booths for hours.

It is an atmosphere that Morris hopes to revive with the expansion of his business Jim’s Smokin’ Café, into the former soda shop building. Morris will officially take over the space on Dec. 1.

He will keep the current restaurant location open as well.

“I want to keep the theme that Paris has always had, but with more what I’m going to call comfort food,” Morris said. “Elaine (Tughan) did a great job, but I want to take it to the next step with the food. I want more soups and comfort food, but I also want to try to do something in town that nobody else has.”

Morris has owned Jim’s Smokin’ Café at 402 Front St. since May 2014.

On Thursday afternoon, in a tiny stretch of kitchen space, Morris mixed up spices for a meat rub in a big silver bowl.  He transferred the mixture to two meat slabs on a metal cart.

“I don’t even have a stove,” Morris said.

For customers who have come to know Jim’s restaurant for its savory barbecue and tender meat, the increase in kitchen space means more additions to the menu.

His vision for the expansion is creating a place with an environment conducive to hanging out with the whole family.

“Give people a place to go that does not have to have alcohol involved,” Morris said.

He likens his plans for the new restaurant to be like a brewery or winery space, except with soda and ice cream. He said he plans to have ice cream flights, where people can sample a variety of ice cream flavors.

He also wants to support local ice cream businesses by buying only local ice cream, in addition to making his own soda flavors.

Morris confesses to not having much of a sweet tooth, but ice cream is a different matter.

“Ice cream is my kryptonite,” Morris said.

As for the design, he said he has a lot more research to do, but he wants the setting to be light and roomy.

Morris said he plans on hiring more employees, including a handful of full-time and part-time workers.

Additionally, Morris said he thinks highly of the Niles downtown area and that he wants to help add to the local businesses.  He also wants more of his customers to be from Niles.

“I want to see a lot more people from town,” Morris said. “I really do. Just so they can appreciate what is going in down here.”

At the cafe on Thursday afternoon, Morris said he was both excited and a little scared for the future.

“It’s a big investment for me,” Morris said.

Morris said he was tentative about announcing the deal, as he said he would not truly feel like the owner until he is standing in front of the building with his keys in hand.

For now, it is at least a comfort knowing that he will be able to continue to help the downtown Niles area thrive.

“My whole goal is to get stuff in there that you can’t get anywhere else,” Morris said. “There are a lot of people downtown doing some cool things and I want to continue it.”