Facebook images Pete and Krista Beerman, recently opened The Plaid Moose, a coffeehouse in downtown Slayton.

SLAYTON — Slayton native Pete Beerman and his wife, Krista, recently purchased, remodeled and opened The Plaid Moose along Broadway Avenue in downtown Slayton.

The Beermans took ownership after previous owner Debbie Petersen decided to sell The Vine. The new coffeehouse opened in February and had its grand opening on March 9.

“We’ve known Debbie, and my husband, Pete, worked for her for a little bit,” Krista Beerman said. “We kept in touch. When we moved into the area for another reason this fall, she approached us to see if we’d be interested in the business.”

The Beermans were excited for the opportunity to be fully immersed into the community.

“It’s going very, very well,” Beerman said. “We’re very thankful for the response we’ve gotten from our community. We’re just thankful for be here in this community. We look forward to being part of the community in this capacity for many years to come.”

Though this is the couple’s first business venture, Krista Beerman said they have had prior customer service experience.

“Pete was the manager for the Slayton Pizza Ranch,” she said. “We’ve never owned anything before, but we’ve had those kinds of experiences.”

When it came time to choose a name for the new coffeehouse, Beerman said they originally wanted it to be The Mocha Moose, but they found that the name was already taken.

“We knew we wanted to do something northwoodsy, something that said Minnesota, but there was already a Mocha Moose in Duluth,” she said. “We were talking about it and ended up with The Plaid Moose. It’s been fun to decorate with.”

Of course, the employees at The Plaid Moose also wear plaid. Customers who wear plaid are also given a discount.

“If customers wear plaid, we give them a 10 percent discount,” Beerman said. “Some of them go all out.”

The Beermans also have special offers on certain days. Minister Mondays offer a 30 percent discount to clergy. Teachers get a 30 percent discount on Teacher Tuesdays. First Responders get the 30 percent off on Fridays. All active and retired U.S. military get a 50 percent off discount every day.

“We give discounts on different days to celebrate different groups of people,” Beerman said. “We do that because we want to let our community we love them. It’s stirring up some really neat energy and encouragement. It’s our way of paying it forward.”

Since The Plaid Moose is a coffeehouse, it will, of course, serve top-notch coffee. The coffeehouse serves “Coffea Roasterie,” which is coffee distributed from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and originally from Africa, Colombia and Guatemala.

The Plaid Moose will also offer signature drinks such as the bulletproof moose (signature coffee, coconut oil and butter blended together), moose track latte (espresso, chocolate, caramel and hazelnut), island moose latte (espresso, coconut syrup and white chocolate), Irish moose latte (espresso, Irish cream syrup and white chocolate), the moosetella (Nutella and espresso), the striped moose (espresso, white and dark chocolate), the mocha moose (espresso and dark chocolate) and the miel moose (espresso, honey and cinnamon).

Additional hot drinks include: hot chocolate, latte with flavor shot, chai tea latte and hot tea. Cold and iced drinks include: frappe, fruit smoothies, ice chai tea late and the moose whey (chocolate whey protein, banana, almond milk and peanut butter). There will be a few seasonal drinks that will be served throughout the year as well.

In addition to the many beverages, The Plaid Moose also has a full menu of soups, sandwiches and salads.

“All of our soups are homemade,” Beerman said. “So are our pastries. Everything that can be homemade is.”

Customers can choose between six different salads and/or wraps, including the orchard, which is a spring mix, romaine, chicken, apples, walnuts, craisins, Parmesan and vinagarette. The rebel moose wrap features bacon cheeseburger and pickles with ketchup and mustard.

“We have a similar menu to what The Vine had, but the names are different,” Beerman said. “We’ve renamed everything, but our customers have caught on pretty quickly.”

Nine different sandwiches area available, including the buffalo plaid (chicken, cheese, lettuce, red onions, bleu cheese or ranch and buffalo sauce), the dontchyaknow (chicken salad on a croissant) and the wildcat (chicken, lettuce, cheese and southwest chipotle sauce on a hoagie roll).

Tasty treats consist of maple bacon cinnamon rolls, regular cinnamon rolls, scones, muffins, cookies and bars.

Items that are gluten-free are also offered for a small upcharge.

Beerman expects to be at the coffeehouse much of the time, while she anticipates Pete helping out from time to time. There are also four regular employees in addition to a baker who willingly stayed on after the change in ownership.

“She’s amazing,” Beerman said. “We didn’t want to mess with the system. We’re very fortunate to have her.”

Hours at The Plaid Moose are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The coffeehouse is closed for worship and family on Sundays.

“You’ll see me here a lot of the time,” Beerman said. “We are very thankful to be here. It’s a God thing (how it came about).”

There is also a second location for customers’ convenience as The Plaid Moose Jr. is located in the Murray County Medical Center lobby. Hours are from 7-10 a.m. and from 4-7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“It’s just our drink menu and some pastries,” Beerman said. “It’s open an hour earlier than the main coffeehouse, so the public can go over there it’s earlier in the morning. We’re doing that just to bless the people at the hospital. They love it, too, because it’s bringing in people from the community. You don’t just have to be there when you’re sick.”

Right now, three employees, including one from the main coffeehouse, rotates shifts there.

The Beermans’ five children will also provide help.

“They work here, so they’re learning that good work ethic,” Krista Beerman said. “They’re also learning how to serve the public.”