Evergreen espresso stand offers delivery service

The Steam Room in Evergreen, a popular drive-thru espresso stand, just celebrated its second anniversary thanks to a unique approach to the coffee hut trend.

“It took a little while to get established,” admitted Amy Ovik, who runs the small establishment with her daughter Kelsey Randall. Two years in, she said the mother-daughter business now “keeps us really busy.”

Ovik, who has spent nearly 30 years in the local coffee scene, believes there are a few key features that set The Steam Room apart from the rest of the valley’s quick coffee purveyors. With delivery all throughout the valley, their business reaches far beyond the small coffee stand.

And though the operation is modest, she said there are very few limits to the services they extend to their delivery customers. No order is too small or too large for the Steam Room to deliver to their coffee drinkers.

“They can order one to one hundred drinks,” Ovik insisted. There is a small delivery fee for these orders, but it doesn’t change based on the size of the request.

Ovik added that geographically there is a “pretty wide range” for their coffee delivery. She reported The Steam Room regularly delivers to repeat customers across Kalispell and into Columbia Falls. Delivery is available by calling The Steam Room any time from 8 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday.

These loyal customers have become the backbone of The Steam Room’s business in its fledgling years. “We have tons of repeat customers,” Ovik said. “90% of our customers are people that come at the same time every day.”

She believes these patrons return to The Steam Room daily for the unique, high-quality drinks they offer. Ovik and Randall emphasize using “local and organic” coffee beans in their drinks.

“Not a lot of shops do that,” Ovik claimed. They source their beans from Hunter Bay coffee roasters near Missoula. Their decaf coffee is made through a unique charcoal water process, and they use local 5 Sparrows Stevia mixes for their sugar-free options.

These specialty offerings come from Ovik’s decades of coffee-making experience, both in the drive-thru and at more traditional sit-down coffee shops. “I like the drive-thru,” she commented. “I get to see a lot of people.”

The Steam Room is located at 2243 U.S. 2 E. in Evergreen. Hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.