Chamber welcomes Monarch Mountain Coffee
SANDPOINT — Same great coffee, welcoming atmosphere and friendly staff. The only difference? There are new owners at Monarch Mountain Coffee.
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce officials recently welcomed the coffee shop and new owners, Leonard and Sherrie Wilson, to the chamber. The Wilsons purchased Monarch Mountain Coffee in February 2012.
Sherrie Wilson is an Idaho native from Boise and moved to Sandpoint five years ago when her husband, Leonard, had the opportunity to relocate his job to the area. Sherrie, after spending the last 20 years as a medical transcriptionist, the last two of which at Bonner General Hospital, thought this would be a good time chasing the dream to own her own coffee shop.
She searched Sandpoint and the greater area for a prime location that wouldn’t take much to renovate into a premium coffee shop and always used Monarch Mountain Coffee as her benchmark. However, over the years of searching nothing seemed to meet Monarch Mountain Coffee’s mold. So, the dream was put on the back burner until she learned the coffee shop was available and in a whirlwind of magic, the dream of owning a coffee shop came to fruition.
Although Sherrie is the owner and operated, it is still a family effort with her husband, Leonard, being the toaster. Monarch Mountain still has all of the historic blends and formulas its customers have come to enjoy over the years. However, after studying the science of roasting and being completely methodical when it comes to roasting, you are still able to try some of their newer roasts.
Monarch Mountain Coffee is an Internet café with a growing menu all of the time. It’s a comfortable, casual space with a welcoming vibe and a friendly staff. There are lots of organic items on the menu.
“Everyone is welcome and the customer is number one at Monarch Mountain Coffee,” said Sherrie Wilson. “We invite you through their doors and welcome you to stay as long as you’d like.”
The Wilsons strive to be as responsible as they possibly can when sourcing their coffee, buying Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and organic coffee beans when they are reasonable. Recently, they even acquired the ability to sell beer and wine which they will keep it local with Pend d’Oreille Winery wine and Laughing Dog Brewery beer.
The cafe also is host to the Northwest Film Institute’s movie nights on the third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Admission is free but donations are accepted.
Information: phone, 265-9382; or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/monarchmountaincoffee