OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — If you need a boost as you wrap up your holiday shopping, or if there's a coffee lover on your list, there's a new spin on an old coffee shop you need to know about.
Everybody has a story.
Keith Jiron works from home. He's also is a regular at Stories Coffee Company.
"It's a nice place to get out. Walls are closing in on me at home," Jiron said.
He comes for the coffee and company.
"The staff here is so friendly, it's a great atmosphere. The coffees are great. They play Christmas music, I'm thinking this place is great," he added.
Coffee is Dan Loutzenheiser's passion.
"Ten years ago my dad and I started roasting coffee as a hobby," Loutzenheiser said.
He and his wife own the place. They bought the old Stories Coffee when it closed.
"We contacted them and really wanted to find a way to continue on the story of Stories," Loutzenheiser explained.
Their story started with their new location. But the opening was at the worst possible time - in the middle of the pandemic.
"We opened right when the restrictions were hitting, so we couldn't open up our nice dining room for a couple of months after, but we did a lot of curbside," Loutzenheiser said.
With restrictions easing up — business is brewing.
"There's that human element that I think we're all missing and so it's been awesome to see that. The smiles on their faces, the conversations, the Bible studies, the meetings. Anything and everything happening here and that's why we built this place," he added.
Coffee lovers have a lot of options, but Loutzenheiser believes there's something special at Stories.
"We roast it ourselves. My dad is the roaster. You come in it's hopefully warm and welcoming. We do have probably more of an evening appeal as well. We have craft beer, wine and a full menu of food and music," Loutzenheiser said.
Right now they're focused on the holidays — from the festive sweaters to their holiday drinks.
"We have a combination of peppermint mochas, cookie batter lattes," Loutzensheiser said.
There's also gift baskets just for java junkies. Everything in the basket is Nebraska made including their special holiday blend.
"Our candles are from Bianci candles in Papillion. We have hot chocolate from Kearney and chocolates from Lincoln," he explained.
Giving back is important for the owners at Stories Coffee. Every two months they feature a local nonprofit here on their wall and online. This month it's Stuff The Truck.
"Then we give back a portion of our November and December sales to them," Loutzenheiser explained.
That's his story. A passion for people. A heart of appreciation.
"For the community to kind of rally around us and whether it's buying gift cards or coming thru drive-thru, it's really cool and helped us get through these pretty tough times," Loutzenheiser said.
And of course, a love for coffee.
The holiday gift baskets at Stories Coffee range from $35 to $125. You can also swap out coffee for wine. Stories roasted coffee can be purchased in-store or online. Just go to storiescoffeecompany.com.
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