BROKEN BOW, NE – A new business to Broken Bow is opening its doors on Thursday for a grand opening event. Ollie’s Coffee & Boutique, formerly of Sargent, now calls South E Street home after settling into the former Prairie Grounds building.
Owner Beth Ottun said she and her family have been on quite the journey over the past year plus.
“We had a buyer that purchased our building in Sargent and we had kind of been looking at the idea of possibly moving to Broken Bow. So we kind of had our eyes open, and we saw property that we were interested in and so we kind of had some things that had to fall into place first and so we kind of had a little, I like to call it, a little ‘pause button’ just for us to kind of regroup and our building had sold in Sargent so we had a little downtime in there, but it turned out to be really good. We were able to kind of take care of some things, some organization and things like that for the website and everything,” said Ottun.
Ollie’s in Sargent opened in late 2020, and Ottun said many of the offerings that were established there have made the journey to Broken Bow. A full service coffee shop menu will feature espresso, coffee blends, teas, and smoothies. The boutique will have home decor items, clothing, hats, shoes, purses, scarves, jewelry, gifts, packaged coffee, locally produced products, and kids items for sale as well.
Ottun said those who visited when they were in Sargent will recognize the color scheme and even the flooring, as they’ll be the same. She also verified that the much asked-about kids play area will be back, with help from her sister Megan who is moving back from London with her husband.
“It’s kind of a little bit more of a European feel, she calls it a ‘soft play’. It’s a little bit different, but it’s still very much a fun kids play area where they’re encouraged to just play. It’s more hands on and sensory type activities for the kids,” explained Ottun.
Three days a week, Debbie Fisher will be on hand as a mainstay for bakery items as well as management-type work. Michaela Bissonette and her mom will also regularly have delicious items at Ollie’s from Ella & Jack’s Bakery.
The history of the building is something Ottun said she is excited to include in its life as Ollie’s going forward.
“The previous owners, Barb and Tom Myers, had given me some cool pieces of history. That it used to be a filling station, that there used to be a cafe there. So I think we’re going to use that as a part of our renovations too.”
Thursday’s grand opening event from 4 to 7 PM will feature live music on the patio with Tazy Scott (something Ottun assured there will be plenty of going forward), a stem bar by Broken Bow Floral, the Solis Taqueria Mexican food truck, and baked goods from Ella & Jack’s and DebbieDee’s Bakery.
Planned hours going forward are Monday to Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM and Saturdays from 8 AM to 5 PM.
Ottun reflected on the journey to the opening in Broken Bow with a glass-half-full attitude, “In all honesty, that was my hope, that we would just jump right in from one place to another place in Broken Bow. That’s kind of where I really wanted to go, but things always take a little bit of a different turn in life sometimes when what we expect and what we want. It turns out in the end that it all worked out for the best. We’re just super grateful.”
