Picture a nervous entrepreneur standing in the back office of a converted railroad building, taking deep breaths while her very first customers stream through the door.

She didn't plan to open a coffee shop. She didn't know the first thing about espresso. But sometimes, the most meaningful community spaces emerge not from business plans, but from something harder to quantify—a conviction that people need a place to gather.

Seven years ago, that excited and nervous entrepreneur was Mary, standing behind the counter of what would become Loco Espress—a coffee shop she never planned to open.

Today, alongside her daughter Ava, she runs what may be the world's first coffee shop to serve coffee flights—an innovation born from brewery culture that has since spread across the globe. But the real story here isn't about viral trends or Instagram-worthy drinks.

It's about how a mother-daughter team built something rare in our increasingly isolated world: a business that measures success not in quarterly profits, but in the number of people who walk through the door feeling a little less alone.

When God and Business Plans Collide

In 2018, downtown Brainerd was seeing a slow but hopeful revival, with old buildings like the Railroad Center finding new life.

Mary never intended to become a coffee shop owner. An artist by training, she spent 25 years as a stay-at-home mom, painting and renting her artwork to local businesses.

When her husband came home mentioning that someone wanted to open a coffee shop in the Railroad Center, her first reaction was decidedly unexcited.

"I'm like, so?" Mary recalls with a laugh.

But then came what she describes as divine clarity. "God told me he needed a place for people to come, and that is what it took," she says. Whether readers view that moment as faith or intuition, it became the cornerstone of her approach to business.

That conviction—that Brainerd needed a gathering space more than it needed another business—would shape every decision that followed.

The name itself reflects Mary's artistic roots: Loco Espress, a playful nod to the building's railroad history while making sure customers knew the proper spelling of espresso (no "x," thank you very much).

Step inside, and the railway theme comes alive in subtle, inviting ways. Exposed brick walls still echo the building’s past, now softened by the hum of the espresso machine and the scent of freshly ground beans.

Mary’s original paintings—abstracts rich with color and movement—line the walls, while a small boutique section curated by Ava adds texture and warmth with artfully curated clothing and gifts. The result feels less like a business and more like a living room built on love, art, and caffeine.

A Partnership Forged Through Challenge

Bringing Ava into the business meant navigating territory that tests many family relationships. Ava was just 19 when she returned from Arizona to help launch Loco Espress. The transition from mother-child to business partners didn't happen overnight.

“It was tough in the beginning,” Ava admits. “I went from seeing her as my mom to seeing her as my partner—but she also had more experience.”

Mary describes the early dynamic as a communication minefield. "It was hard to communicate without offending, especially for a 19-year-old."

But when tensions peaked, they made a conscious choice to work through it: the alternative to working it out simply wasn't acceptable.

Today, they describe themselves as best friends who not only work together but travel together and, until recently, even lived together. "When she's at work, I'm like, what time do you get done today?" Mary says. "Everyone's kind of like, that's not healthy. But we're best friends on top of it."

For Ava, the most meaningful part of returning home wasn't just coming back to Minnesota—she was ready to leave Arizona anyway. It was "having something of my own with my mom, my family."

How One Question Sparked a Global Trend

Innovation, it turns out, can begin with a question asked over a pint.

Mary and her family are investors in Roundhouse Brewery, where beer flights—small wooden paddles carrying sample glasses—are part of the ritual. One afternoon, as she watched customers comparing sips, Mary wondered aloud: Why couldn’t coffee work the same way?

That night she scoured the internet for proof that someone, somewhere, had already tried it. Nothing. No barista blogs, no Pinterest posts, not a single café offering “coffee flights.”

“I believe with all my heart we were the first,” she says. To make it happen, she called the same craftsman who built Roundhouse’s beer racks and asked for a smaller version, just right for espresso cups.

The first offering—cold brew flights—was an instant hit. Soon came latte flights, iced latte flights, tea flights, Italian soda flights, even “zinger” and lemonade flights. Photos spread across social media. People drove six hours from Fargo just to try them; others in California and New York vowed to make the pilgrimage.

“I still have the photos from that first week in 2021,” Mary says, smiling. “Someday, I’d love to see it in Wikipedia.”

Three years later, coffee flights appear from Portland to Paris. But for Mary, they’ve never been about marketing. Each tray is an invitation—to linger, to experiment, to share an experience that tastes a little like community.

A Pandemic Sanctuary

Perhaps the most telling chapter in Loco Espress's story unfolded during the darkest days of COVID-19. While businesses across Minnesota shuttered, Loco Espress stayed open—carefully, legally, but persistently.

"We were never shut down," Mary explains. The health department visited after complaints from concerned citizens, but found the shop in full compliance. "They said, we don't see you doing anything wrong."

When restrictions tightened and indoor seating became impossible, the team discovered that a window facing the street—one that hadn't opened in decades—could be pried open for takeout service.

They used it throughout the pandemic. The day restrictions lifted, they tried to open it again for fresh air.

"It didn't open," Mary says. The building manager discovered it was broken internally. "God stuck it," she concludes, suggesting the window served its purpose precisely when needed.

During those uncertain months, Loco Espress became more than a coffee shop—it became proof that normal life still existed somewhere.

"We just gave people a place to come," Mary reflects. "Even if it was to get out of their house and drive here and run up and get a coffee, they had somewhere to come."

Business boomed so much that when the city offered pandemic relief funds, Mary turned them down, asking that the money go to someone who needed it more.

A Culture of Radical Generosity

Behind Loco Espress’s success is a radical philosophy rarely found in business textbooks: give freely, ask nothing in return, and trust that generosity multiplies.

“We’ve never spent a dime on advertising,” Mary says. “We just give—quietly. No receipts, no logos on billboards. Just take the money and use it where it’s needed.”

That same spirit shapes how they treat their team of nearly twenty. Instead of dictating schedules, Mary begins each week by asking what hours people can work, then pieces together the roster “like a Sudoku puzzle.” It’s messy, she admits—but worth it.

“They have families, church, school, other jobs,” she says. “It's important to have a life outside of work.” The payoff is a crew that stays. Turnover is much lower; laughter is plentiful. 

Many regulars have drinks named after them—order a Miles, Scott, Katie, or Jerome, and the baristas know exactly what to pour.

“We’re not just baristas,” Mary smiles. “We’re a listening ear, we’re family, we’re Jesus lovers. That’s the spirit of this place.”

What This Means for Small-Town Minnesota

Loco Espress's story offers lessons that extend beyond Brainerd. At a time when national chains dominate retail and algorithms replace human interaction, this coffee shop demonstrates what happens when business decisions prioritize community over quarterly returns.

Key Takeaways for Local Business Owners:

For those running small businesses—or dreaming of starting one—Loco Espress’s story offers practical lessons.

The power of "winging it": Mary and Ava have never followed a rigid business plan. They pray, listen, and adapt daily—an approach that's kept them responsive to community needs.

Innovation can come from anywhere: The coffee flight concept emerged from observing a local brewery, proving that breakthrough ideas often come from connecting dots within your own community.

Generosity as marketing: By refusing traditional advertising and instead giving to local causes without fanfare, Loco Espress built loyalty that no billboard could purchase.

Family businesses need honest communication: The mother-daughter partnership nearly fractured before they committed to working through challenges—a reminder that family business success requires both love and clear boundaries.

Pandemic resilience came from serving others: While some businesses survived by cutting costs, Loco Espress thrived by staying open and providing a sense of normalcy when people needed it most.

For Coffee Shop Visitors:

Visitors can sip Mary’s favorite blackberry pear zinger with coconut milk, browse her original paintings, and explore the rotating boutique curated by Ava—all while sampling the shop’s signature coffee flights.

Looking Forward, One Day at a Time

With three years remaining on their current lease (they renewed for five years in 2023), Mary and Ava aren't making elaborate expansion plans. True to form, they're taking it day by day.

"I have never been a planner," Mary says. "We wing it, we pray on it, we pray about it, and then we listen. And God is very clear in telling me what I need to do next."

When asked what she hopes Loco Espress means to Brainerd in five or ten years, Mary's answer circles back to that original divine directive—to create a place for people to come.

"I would hope that they remember this as a place they can come and gather with their friends. They feel welcome. They feel loved no matter who they are, no matter what lifestyle they live, no matter what job they have," she says. "I hope they remember it that way. That this was always a place that they felt safe and comfortable."

In a time when “community” too often lives behind screens, Loco Espress stands as proof that connection still thrives face-to-face. Here, strangers become friends, mothers and daughters become partners, and success is measured not in sales but in smiles, stories, and shared moments over steaming cups.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful innovation isn’t digital at all—it’s human.

Reader Reflection: What makes a business essential to your community? Is it the product, or the sense of belonging it creates? Share your thoughts at thelakesarea@gmail.com