Those wishing to get their morning coffee fix, will have not one, but possibly two, additional places to go in Dolores with the upcoming openings of the Pony Expresso and Mesa Verde Coffee.
The Pony Expresso owners, Teresa Howell and Mark Looper, say their coffee shop will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Halloween.
The Pony Expresso will be located at 795 Railroad Ave. and starting Nov. 1, the coffee shop will be open for regular business hours.
Howell said their espresso is a special blend that her husband, Mark Looper, created himself.
Its really, really good coffee, Howell said.
Howell and Looper recently returned back to Dolores after running their coffee shop in Antonito, Colorado.
We are excited to be back in Dolores, Howell said.
The Pony Expresso will have the typical coffee shop items, but they might have different names.
All of our drinks have horse names, Howell said. Even the sizes have horse names.
If you want a small, ask for a Shetland. If you want a large, ask for a Clydesdale. The drinks themselves are also named after horses. There is the Lusitano (latte). A cappuccino is a palomino and a chai latte is a quarter horse.
We both really love horses, Howell said.
The Pony Expresso will have a drive through and will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The shop will have indoor seating and seating outside when the weather allows, Howell said.
The shop will also feature homemade goodies by Howell, including her red velvet cupcakes.
Ive been baking since I could reach the stove, she said. A lot of these recipes are my grandmothers.
During their grand opening on Halloween, The Pony Expresso will give out candy, hot chocolate, baked goods samples and have a costume contest at 6:30 p.m.. Call 882-7950 for more information.
Madeline Cable got the nod Monday from the Dolores Town Board to open her coffee shop, Mesa Verde Coffee, next to Lizard Head Cyclery in Dolores.
Cable needed a temporary use permit from the Town Board because she plans on opening her coffee shop in a equipped coffee trailer.
We are trying not to create a dangerous situation, said Town Attorney Mike Green, That is why we have to be careful here.
Green told the board they had to consider the temporary use permit because they had discussed food carts in the past, mostly concerned about health and safety and the impact of the grease.
But this coffee cart is much less of an impact, Green said.
Town Manager Ryan Mahoney said Cable would not be able to dump water on the site and would have to haul it away.
The town trustees voted unanimously to support the temporary use permit and will revisit the permit again in a year.
Cable said her cart will mainly be a drive-up service.
When contacted on Thursday, Cable said she didnt have an opening date set yet because she is still working out details.