Feb. 2, 2024

Fernson Brewing Co. is taking advantage of its sun-drenched downtown taproom that sits empty in the morning to open a coffee shop.

Fernson Coffee + Tea will serve everything from drip coffee and tea to a full espresso menu and customizable chai lattes.

For food, Look’s Bakehouse will supply a variety of pastries, and Wagoo Burger will open up its kitchen earlier to serve breakfast and lunch.

“This space is so nice, and it just sits empty in the mornings and on the weekend. It doesn’t really make sense,” said Cole Casper, Fernson’s brand manager.

The coffee shop will open Feb. 13 in Fernson Downtown, 332 S. Phillips Ave., but it’s having a pop-up this weekend to introduce people to the concept. The new drinks will be available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. The first 50 customers each day will get a free drip coffee.

After the launch, hours for the coffee shop likely will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Later in the day, customers will be able to get drip coffee, but the espresso and tea menu might not be available, depending on who’s working that night, Casper said. The earlier start to the day also means Fernson’s craft beer taps will be flowing sooner.

The coffee beans are coming from Duluth Coffee Co. in Duluth, Minnesota.

“It’s robust without being overbearing is how I describe it,” Casper said.

Fernson Coffee + Tea will have a limited amount of flavorings – honey, lavender and vanilla – but they’re all locally sourced, Casper said.

“It’s not like everything (at some other coffee shops), but there’s plenty of options that you can find something you like,” he said. “And then the chai lattes, you can get a house one quicker, or you can get customizations. We’ll have a little card for people to fill out, and then that just takes a little bit more time.”

Fernson Downtown’s general manager, Noah Adams, has been leading the effort to start the coffee shop. He joined the taproom last year after working for Caribou Coffee for several years.

With plenty of space, customers will be able to linger, Casper said.

“A lot of downtown coffee shops have space problems that we just don’t have,” he said. “There’s places that I’d love to go on the weekends, but I can never sit down at them. It’s always grab-and-go, and there’s not time to hang out, meet with friends or just meet other people that are in the community. This is one of the reasons they wanted to launch this.”

It also will be a good environment for getting a little work done “if you are a remote worker or if you own your own business or sometimes you just need space that’s not home or maybe not the office,” Casper said. “Or if you’re just looking for a cool environment to maybe be a little more creative.”