Dwayne and Terri Vennerberg are the owners of Fika Coffee Hus, which is located in the small southwestern Iowa town of Stanton. Fika Coffee Hus opened in May of 2021. Terri always thought it was interesting that the town did not have its own coffee shop. After a survey was conducted of the town’s young people it was revealed that to get younger people to stay in the town, they would like a coffee shop, exercise center, as well as daycare to be built. After a few years of waiting, Terri and Dwayne began to think about opening a coffee shop.

After a bit of time, the two found the perfect place to rent. A beautiful older building in Stanton was getting ready to be torn down, but Dwayne and Terri saved it. Fika Coffee Hus is now located in one-half of this beautiful older building. Their coffee shop is home to a bakery and a small retail area as well, allowing vendors to sell things from antiques to t-shirts. Fika Coffee Hus began as just a coffee shop, soon expanding to add the bakery, and then finally the retail area. This multi-purpose space is popular and has gained success in Stanton.

Fika Coffee Hus has flourished in Stanton from the very beginning. The first few weeks were hectic and resulted in many trips to Omaha for restocking of supplies. The couple was having to make the trip to Omaha about every other day in order to have enough supplies to keep up with customer demands. Before opening, Terri and Dwayne were not confident they would be busy enough to have other employees besides themselves. After the first few weeks, they changed their mind and hired another employee to help them out. They get multiple age groups of people into the shop every day, from school-age teens to the elderly.

Starting their business has been very rewarding for the couple. Dwayne and Terri are very excited to see Main Street Stanton come back to life. The two encourage others to jump in and start a small business themselves, if they are wanting to. Stating there are people that are willing to help. Dwayne and Terri found help for their small business in America’s SBDC Iowa. The two stated that Jamie David, Regional Director of South Central Iowa SBDC, was wonderful, helping them along the way with any business questions they have. The couple was also counseled by Ethan Pitt, now the Tech and Innovation consultant at the SBDC Iowa state office, in their beginning days of business. Ethan states that “Terri and Dwayne were so fun to work with. They have a natural sense of entrepreneurship, they are full of energy, and love for their community.”

Fika Coffee Hus is thriving in small-town Iowa. The coffee shop has had visitors from all across the United States! They have even seen an increase in other Main Street businesses since their opening. Be sure to check it out for yourself, Dwayne and Terri will be delighted to pour you a cup!

Learn more about Fika Coffee Hus by visiting https://www.fikacoffeehus.com/