Mother & Daughter Renovate Holdrege Coffee Shop with Vintage-Modern Flair

A mother-daughter duo has purchased 4^th Avenue Coffee in downtown Holdrege and is remodeling and renaming the space, extending the hours and adding new foods and flavors. 

Coal & Feed Coffee and Vittle, a name that pays homage to the building’s history, is set to reopen in November, just in time for pumpkin lattes. 

Toni Wells and her mom, Peggy Billeter, purchased 4^th Ave. Coffee at 612 4^th Ave. from Brian and Elisha Steinbach and took ownership of the business on July 1. They closed for remodeling a few weeks later.

Peggy said she and Toni had previously discussed opening a boutique to sell beautiful old dishes and other treasures. However, they didn’t think it would work without coffee or another niche. Since Holdrege already had several coffee shops, they put the idea aside … until Toni saw a for sale sign on 4^th Avenue Coffee.

That’s when Toni approached her mom about partnering on purchasing the business.

“At first, I said no,” Peggy said. “I am 63 years old. Then I slept on it. I prayed about it and thought, ‘my daughter asked me to do this with her.’  So, I said absolutely, I would do it.” 

Toni said she was a little shocked that her mom agreed to her “crazy” idea. 

“To get to do this project with my daughter … this is huge,” Peggy said. “It’s been a challenge. We’ve learned a lot about starting a business and everything that goes into that. We are up for the challenge.” 

The two have skill sets that complement each other and lend themselves well to operating a business. Peggy said Toni excels at hiring and human resources. Toni describes her mom as the “warm and fuzzy” one who excels at making employees and customers feel like family. 

A Full-Time Baker & A New Menu

Coal & Feed will have an all-new menu featuring sweet treats created by their new full-time baker, Loomis native Adeline Larson. She will bake cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pies, cookie cakes, cheesecakes, and other delicious treats for sale in the store or for custom orders. Adeline is a 2023 Loomis High School graduate and has recently been working at Small Cakes in Kearney.

Hard-packed ice cream in eight flavors will also be on the menu and can be ordered in homemade waffle cones made by Adeline.

Coal & Feed’s hours will be 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Lunch or supper options will include soups, light meals, salads, wraps, and sandwiches. Breakfast items will include baked goods, egg bites, bagels, and other options to enjoy with coffee.

Toni and Peggy are coffee aficionados and have secured a Nebraska-based roaster to supply fresh coffee to the business. 

Other new menu items will include real-fruit smoothies, smoothie bowls, teas, and a variety of specialty drinks. One of the new drinks, likely an iced Americano, will be named Hayden Street, which was the original name of Holdrege’s main street now known as 4^th Avenue.

History & New Style

The building’s history will also be showcased on the coffee shop’s interior through pictures dating back to Holdrege’s horse and buggy days.

Toni and Peggy delved into the building’s history before the remodel and are grateful to the staff at the Nebraska Prairie Museum and the Holdrege Genealogy Club for their help in the process and in finding old photographs. They discovered that the building, which was built in the early 1900s, was once a coal and feed store. They decided to rename and rebrand the business based on that history.

In addition to featuring the building’s history, the interior space will have a new style that they describe as eclectic but clean and neat. This vintage-modern style will incorporate funky pieces both new and old. 

“We are trying to create an atmosphere, an experience,” Peggy said. “It’s not just a place to come in and eat and get a coffee. We want it to be an experience.”

The coffee shop has been a popular spot to host meetings and Bible studies, and they will continue to offer the back room for groups to meet. 

Toni and Peggy have hired many local contractors for the remodeling, including Breinig Masonry, L & L Construction, Kenton Johnson Construction, Shane Johnson Construction, Holdrege Electric and Groothuis Plumbing. 

But they have also tackled many of the tasks themselves, including tearing out the old flooring and drywall. In that process, they discovered a beautiful brick wall that will be exposed on the west wall.

On the exterior, the brick is being restored to prevent future water leaks. Once that is complete, they will have a large mural painted with the new name. New awnings, signs and other exterior changes are also planned.

PCDC is helping with several GO! BUSINESS grants, including a building integrity grant and a signs and murals grant.

“PCDC has been a fantastic resource throughout this process,” Toni said. “They have provided us with some funding to offset the cost of all the brickwork that needs to be done plus other projects. We want to be sure everything is done right now so we don’t have to make repairs later.”

Employees

When fully staffed, Coal & Feed will employ 4-6 full-time staff and 6-8 part-time staff. They will pay above minimum wage and want to offer employees a chance to dream big along with them.

“Our dreams need to be big enough so that we allow others to dream along with us,” Toni said. 

Peggy said they want to create a work environment where the “employees will feel like they are part of our family.”

They have some staff hired but are still seeking a few more full and part-time employees, including baristas.

For more information, contact Toni through the shop’s Facebook page or stop in at 612 4^th Ave.