Blodgett family opening coffee saloon in Polson

Area residents will have a new kind of watering hole to gather around this summer with the opening of the Blodgett Creamery Coffee Saloon in downtown Polson.

Located along historic Main Street, the family-owned and operated business aims to take a fresh approach on a classic concept.

“The word ‘saloon’ originally meant a gathering place,” said Debra Blodgett, who purchased the building in March with her husband Jeff. “We felt like that was something Polson was missing.”

Featuring a roomy, rustic interior, Debra said the shop will offer the opportunity to indulge in conversation, as well as a variety of locally-sourced food, beverages and ice cream.

The Blodgetts were recently awarded a $100,000 community development loan from the Montana Department of Commerce, designed to promote downtown revitalization and stimulate job growth.

“Montana’s economy has been built by business owners like the Blodgetts,” Department of Commerce Director Pam Haxby-Cote said in press release announcing the loan.

Slated to hold a soft opening this week, Debra said the company is the culmination of a long-held dream for her family.

“We tried the whole working for other people thing for a while,” Debra said. “That was part of the motivation, to be our own boss.”

Debra said she will run the shop along with her husband Jeff and daughter Morgan Kates, however the rest of the immediate family, composed of son Cody and son-in-law Matt Kates, have pitched in tremendously to renovate the building at 325 Main St.

“We’ve got all hands on deck,” she said.

“My two-month-old baby will probably be in here washing dishes before we know it,” Morgan added.

This down-home nature will be reflected in the shop’s self-styled menu.

In addition to serving Montana-made products such as Big Dipper Ice Cream from Missoula, the Blodgett’s plant to roast their own coffee beans in-house. Debra said they recently hired a licensed barista from Bozeman to provide a lesson on the finer points of making espresso.

“Quality is my main concern,” Debra said.

Perhaps their most eye-catching entry will be a five-pound pasty, for those with appetites as big as the Treasure State sky.

“We thought it would be a fun, ‘Montana’ thing to offer,” Debra said.

Although the shop is not the first business venture for the Blodgetts, who moved back to Jeff’s home state from Washington in 2014, the enterprise is one of particular precedence.

Having family roots that trace back to some of the first homesteaders in the Bitterroot Valley, Debra said she and her husband were motivated to build a business bearing the Blodgett name. She said they aim to eventually open additional locations in Kalispell and Hamilton.

Ambition aside, Debra said the effort not come without its detractors.

“We were told more than once that (Polson) doesn’t need another coffee shop,” Debra said.

Nevertheless, Debra said they found immense support within the community, particularly from the City of Polson and Glacier Bank, which provided some much-needed interim financing.

Debra said the business hopes to return the favor by playing an active role in the community. She said she has hired two employees so far and will look to add more as the shop grows.

When it comes to being you own boss, Debra said it boils down to quality and commitment.

“Ultimately you can make yourself or break yourself,” she said.