Silver Plume Is Now Home to a Cozy Coffee Shop

If ever there was a town that embodied the Little Engine That Could’s mantra of “I think I can, I think I can,” it’s Silver Plume. The seemingly sleepy town that you zip by on I-70 on your way to the slopes is not only an ode to Colorado’s boom and bust mining history but also home to the beloved Bread Bar and now, the new Plume Coffee Bar.

You’ll find the 10-month-old coffee shop on Main Street, just a stone’s throw from Bread Bar. And once you discover it, Plume’s vibe—a careful blend of historical narrative and Instagram-ready coziness—and its specialty pour-overs and espresso drinks made with Huckleberry Roasters’ beans are certain to lure you back.

Striking the right “old but new” tone was important to owners Kent Martin and brothers-in-law Jack and Brian Watson, who bought the building in 2016 as a weekend getaway spot. “We thought we’d have a little cabin in town,” Martin says. “But this building had the vacant storefronts and we said it would be nice to have a coffee shop [in Silver Plume]. Every town needs a coffee shop.”

And so the trio put their combined talents in real estate, landscape architecture, and design together and created Plume Coffee Bar. For inspiration, they looked to Bread Bar’s success. “It’s that hidden gem appeal where you’re driving through a town where you don’t expect anything at all,” Martin says. “[Bread Bar] did a great job with the evening. We wanted to balance that with the morning and coffee.”

The shop has already cultivated a loyal following, and there’s expansion on the horizon. Martin and the Watsons are renovating the adjacent storefront so they can open it for additional seating and events. Currently there’s a separate entrance but there’s talk of creating a passthrough that would join the two. “Kind of like a secret door if we can make it work,” Martin says.

Like Bread Bar, Plume is open abbreviated hours to best capture tourist traffic to and from the mountains. But an official CDOT highway sign is in the works and when that comes to fruition, Martin expects Plume to open six to seven days a week. In the meantime, you can stop by Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

855 Main St., Silver Plume