After Ashley Furniture announced the closure of its Evergreen location, Marceen Liechti lost her job but not her perspective.
Liechti’s perspective told her that, faced with these new life circumstances, she could now pursue the opening of her own business. It told her that Evergreen would be a perfectly viable location for a Western European café and deli; that amid the empty storefronts there are emerging business opportunities.
It’s a perspective rooted in optimism and Montana small-business values. And since opening the Swiss-inspired Edelweiss Café next to Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts in October, Liecthi remains as optimistic as ever, encouraged by a steady flow of customers.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Liecthi said. “I wanted to provide great coffee for people, not just good coffee. And I wanted to provide the kind of food I like.”
Working in sales at Ashley Furniture, Liechti said she noticed a dearth of business lunch options in the area outside of fast food. Taking too much time off for lunch could mean a lost sale, so traveling any distance, she said, wasn’t a favorable option.
When her career at Ashley came to an end, Liechti channeled her inner chef and coffee lover, formed a business plan, and moved in next door to Valley Fitness for Women, a partnership that promotes a healthy-food vibe at Edelweiss.
Edelweiss is a corner café with limited seating, but it has a pickup counter that appeals to businesspeople on the move and it delivers. Liechti said she gets customers from the fitness center, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Evergreen Junior High School and other businesses in the area.
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Marceen Liechti sits at one of the small tables in her recently opened Edelweiss Café next to JoAnn Fabrics in Evergreen. The cafe draws on European influences, especially Swiss, and offers homemade soups, salads, smoothies and Caffé Umbria Espresso. |
Acknowledging the disproportionately rapid rate of growth on U.S. Highway 93 North compared to Evergreen, Liechti reminds that the industry base in her area employs a lot of workers who could always use a good lunch. She points to Flathead Electric Cooperative, Applied Materials Inc., Knife River Corporation and more.
And Liechti isn’t the only one who recognizes the need for expanded dining options in Evergreen. Along Edelweiss’ strip of U.S. Highway 2, an ethnically diverse grouping of food-related enterprises has emerged in recent years, including an Eastern European deli, a Mexican restaurant, a bagel shop and an oriental market.
“There’s a lot going on in Evergreen that people just don’t know about,” Liechti said.
Liechti’s husband is from Switzerland and the couple has traveled there frequently to visit his family. Along the way, Liechti has picked up Swiss recipes, such as wähe, which features a pastry crust lined with almonds and filled with fruit and a custard filling.
“It’s very traditional,” she said. “They eat it for breakfast or with their afternoon coffee.”
One of Liechti’s signature dishes is her Italian beef sandwich, which is similar to a French dip. Eventually, she would like to add an expanded deli featuring specialties such as Fleischkase, a Swiss meatloaf.
“My hope is to bring some different European meats and cheeses in,” she said.
Liechti first fell in love with coffee 25 years ago in Santa Barbara. Since then, she has developed a specific taste for European-style espresso. At Caffe Dolce in Missoula, Liechti found a coffee that meets her standards and she promptly brought it over to Edelweiss. The coffee originates from the Umbria region of Italy.
“My dad said it has a wonderful, smooth flavor,” she said. “And the aftertaste is mild. It’s not bitter like, ‘Oh, I just finished a cup of coffee, give me a piece of gum.’”
The menu at Edelweiss features familiar sandwiches like the Reuben, club and BLT, along with the option to make your own panini. More specialized dishes include a chicken pesto, a favorite of the Valley Fitness owner, and a caprese.
Edelweiss also offers salads, smoothies, pastries, desserts and salads. It is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., serving coffee, pastries and lunch, though Liechti said she will conduct a full-breakfast trial run over the holidays.
Dinner could be offered in the future, but even if Edelweiss grows and requires a bigger home, Liechti said customers will still know where to find her.
“I’d like to stay in Evergreen because I truly believe in what I’m doing,” Liechti said. “There’s so much business happening over there on 93, I’d like to bring some of that business over here. I’d like to balance it.”
Edelweiss Café is located at 2165 U.S. Highway 2 East and can be reached at (406) 257-7280 or found online at www.edelweisscafemt.com.