Austin Java on Barton Springs is unusually quiet for a late summer afternoon.
"Yesterday was probably one of the worst days in the history of Austin Java," Rick Engle, Austin Java's owner, said.
Engle has a pretty good idea why business has been so slow.
"Some of the comments that were made on Wednesday definitely have had an impact and we also have a lot of construction going on, so it's been a combination of those two things," he said.
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Marcia Ball's boycott
Austin Java's owner says he credits the comments Ball made at a concert as well as the nearby construction for a lack of business.
 
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The comments were made Wednesday by Marcia Ball during a performance at Blues on the Green.
The construction is for a condo project behind Austin Java.
Austin Java's owner is a partner in the development.
According to Engle and those who attended the show, Ball told the audience of thousands to boycott the restaurant.
Engle said she told them that he and the other developers cut down trees they promised to preserve.
"That's just absolutely false," Engle said.
The city said there's a course of action.
"There are processes in place," Lynn Lightsey, of the City of Austin, said.
Processes Engle and his partners followed, according to the city.
"The developer of the Barton Place Condos had all the permits in place for the removal of the trees," Lightsey said.
Engle said there were four trees they planned to move, but they were destroyed during a May storm that blew through Central Austin.
"We had, and do have, every intent to replace those trees and honor every commitment we've ever made," Engle said.
Ball's commitment is to boycott the restaurant.
Engle's just hoping she and everyone else who heard her will change their minds.
To read Engle's letter to Marcia Ball explaining the situation, click here.
