THEDFORD, NE- When Alicia Clark opened Anthem Coffee in October of 2022, job number one was getting a summer of business under the new shop’s belt. Now with what she calls having their “heads above water” with an inventory and menu routine, the Thedford business is counting down the days until May when Nebraska Passport visitors start coming through the door.
Clark said that the excitement started as soon as the application was in the mail.
“So that’s when I turned in the application in October of 2023 and crossed my fingers. I was so tickled that we got chosen for it. We’re very passionate about literally ever single thing that we sell here. So I think it will be a great thing for people to know that we’re here and visit us if they’re out of the area.”
The Nebraska Passport stops for 2024 include 70 selected stops in addition to 15 past fan favorites to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the passport. Each stop on the passport holds its own story.
For Anthem Coffee, the chapters of their story include a building purchase in 2021, eleven months of renovation from “completely gutted” to revitalized, a grand opening in October 2022, and amazing local support ever since.
“The non-local climbs a bit in the summer, but our local support has been incredible. We definitely wouldn’t be able to be here without it. A lot of businesses in tourist locations can survive off of the tourism but we’re not necessarily a tourist location. So our local support has meant everything to us and it has blown my mind. I didn’t expect it. I expected them to love what we have here and to frequent us quite often, but as often as everyone comes continues to amaze me,” said Clark.
The menu board at Anthem Coffee has much more than coffee drinks jotted on it. In an attempt to give an overview of their wide array of options, Clark mentioned coffee items such as the standard black, americanos, breves, sweetened, hot, iced, and frappés. 
Customers who aren’t coffee drinkers can enjoy options such as chai tea, lemonade, smoothies, Arnold Palmers, lavender lemonades, hot chocolates, and even frozen hot chocolates.
The food menu, which Clark admits was an afterthought that now makes up a large part of their sales, has great variety for breakfast and beyond.
“We have two different breakfast sandwiches, but we have eight different bagels to choose from for the one breakfast sandwich. I think I counted once and there’s about a dozen sandwiches on our lunch menu, and then if you start creating a sandwich out of a bagel then that number continues to climb,” Clark explained.
Chips are served with all sandwiches, and a bagel and cream cheese menu is available to guests as well boasting several cream cheese flavors.
Visitors that walk through the door of the white building on Highway 2 this summer will likely be offered a comfortable seat in the shade out back, additional seating to be added soon.
As far as other changes in the immediate future, Clark said none are planned. She added, however, that she and friend Ashley are constantly “talking about ways to branch out”.
“Not necessarily to build onto the building, but rather ‘What about if we built a roasterie and started roasting our own coffee?’ Or what about if we created a couple of camping spots behind the business so that we could offer a bed and breakfast kind of a deal. So, our minds are constantly going. Those are five and ten year plans.”
After being told by the Nebraska Passport organizers that past stops have seen an additional 1,200 to 3,000 visitors, Clark said her fingers have been crossed while wondering what kind of opportunities and growth might happen for herself and the community as a result.
