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Mountain Mudd Espresso Opens in Downtown Great Falls

By Charlie Keegan

Story Created: Nov 13, 2010 at 7:33 PM MDT

Story Updated: Nov 13, 2010 at 7:33 PM MDT

Drivers along 9th Street downtown have been watching as a new coffee shop began to take shape. Today, Mountain Mudd Espresso officially opened with a busy first day.

It was one after another this morning, and co-owner Brandon Jurasek wouldn't have it any other way. Mountain Mudd is a nationwide chain, and this is the first location in Great Falls.

“I got a mudslide, it’s good, it’s really good,” Houston VanSickle says.

“It’s excellent, the service is very friendly, I recommend coming down, very good,” Patrick and Melanie Gilroy agree.

The coffee shop doesn't have indoor seating, just two drive through lanes and a walk-up window, but that doesn't mean you don't get coffee house-like interaction. “We want to make it fun for the customers and engage the customers, we don’t have a speaker box, so the customer orders at the window, which is nice because they get to interact with the baristas and see the sights and sounds and smells of the place,” Jurasek says.

If you just want to grab a cup to go, employees try to keep the line moving quickly. “We’re trying to make something express, something fast,” Jurasek explains.

Putting up a new business downtown has customers excited. “We watched the progress of their construction and I think they’ve done a wonderful job with this. I think it’s really a tremendous asset to this area of town,” Dave Madson says.

“We could use a lot more down here [downtown], this is a lot nicer,” Steve Hite says.

Jurasek hired eight full time employees to keep the shop running. “A real friendly staff, they’re very knowledgeable. We can provide anything that anyone would like coffee-wise,” he says.

Just up 9th Street two blocks, Morning Light Coffee says they haven't seen a dip in customers, mostly because they have a different atmosphere. “It’s a coffee house, it’s a place to come, to sit and talk with your friends and just have a good time,” long-time customer Bill Stewart explains.

Customers at Mountain Mudd Espresso seem to like their first taste. “We’re absolutely coming back,” the Gilroys say.

Jurasek used a Brownfields loan to clean up the empty lot, which was contaminated. He says local contractors built the coffee shop.

Mountain Mudd Espresso is at 9th and Central and is open seven days a week from 6 am to 8 pm.

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