On a sunny Friday morning in April, Glacier Grinds, one of Kalispell’s newest coffee shops, is full of energy.  

The espresso machine grinds behind the shop’s bar counter as baristas make variations of coffee and energy drinks. A mom sits at the bar, talking to the baristas as they work, while her daughter sits to the side and makes her own coffee on a toy coffee machine.  

It’s the sort of place owner Hailey Owens hoped to eventually see and one she hopes to continue to grow.  

Glacier Grinds officially opened in mid-April in a shared space with The Rancher’s Daughter, a local farm-to-table retail store. The coffee business, owned by Hailey and her husband John, started as a mobile trailer last year.  

Owens, born and raised in Kalispell, worked at Copper Mountain Coffee for 10 years. A hairdresser and boutique owner, Owens always wanted her own coffee shop. After working at Flathead Flavor for a while, Owens found a small trailer for sale and bought it in 2023.  

“My goal was always to start my own coffee shop, and the trailer was a great start to that,” she said, sitting in Glacier Grinds’ first standing store. “After we got the trailer up last August we kept going.”  

Owens stumbled across an online advertisement from The Rancher’s Daughter asking if anyone was interested in partnering within the space as a coffee shop. Owens signed the lease in February.  

“We want to grow and expand still,” Owens said, reflecting on how she would love to occupy a space with a drive-through.  

The shop offers a classic array of coffee drinks using roasted beans from Valler Coffee in Lincoln, including lattes, macchiatos, drip coffee, teas, energy drinks with always rotating monthly specials and seasonal flavors. They offer a small selection of food items but pointed toward the future addition of a Skald Eats food truck that is planned to add to the offerings.  

The space on East Idaho Street, with a large parking lot, is set to begin hosting weekly farmers markets as well this summer.  

A specialty Owens pointed out is the Glacier Ice Cap, a special way of packaging to-go iced drinks. Using a machine to seal the cup with a lid, similar to a soda can, the drinks are easily transportable, which is good for Glacier Grinds’ delivery service.  

“We’re all about making your coffee experience as easy and enjoyable as possible,” the shop’s website says.  

Owens also hopes to expand the trailer aspect of the business by potentially having trailers serving lemonade or matcha. Right now, there’s just have the one trailer that often frequents farmers markets, sporting events and other community events. 

The existing trailer can also be rented out for events via Glacier Grinds’ website at glacier-grinds.com/mobile-trailer.  

Glacier Grinds is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Saturdays, the hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Sunday its 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

The shop is located at 135 E. Idaho St. in Kalispell. Owens regularly posts on the shop’s Instagram as well to share details about drinks and trailer locations at instagram.com/glacier.grinds/.  

“We try to pay attention to detail and really look at our ingredients and where they are coming from,” she said. “We want to be local. We’ve only just started, but we will expand that in time.” 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].