Gothenburg, NE

[Coyote]

A coffee shop with a western flair



GOTHENBURG, Neb. (KOLN) - The next time you visit Gothenburg, you might want to check out a coffee shop right off the interstate that’s been in business for more than 25 years. We caught up with Marsha Hecox to talk about her business called Lasso Espresso. “My sister and I started this,” Hecox said. “I was interested in espresso and the history of it, and so was my sister. She was teaching, and I used to teach. I started to go through treatments for breast cancer, and I thought people just needed a treat. I wanted it to be not only for the people getting treatment, but for the families, too. Ironically, my sister ended up getting breast cancer, and we lost her from the disease. This store basically started because we think people just need a treat to make their day happier or better.”

In the beginning, Hecox said she and her sister spent a year doing research and learning how to make the products on the menu. The store started just as a walk-up, but has expanded over the years. “We added on to every inch that we could,” Hecox said. “We have some unique items for sale. I try to carry things that not everyone has. Some of the items on the shelves have a western flair. My sister and I were born on a cattle ranch, so that’s where the name ‘Lasso Espresso’ comes from.” Hecox says some of the favorite items on the menu are lattes and mochas, and she says the business added ice cream last summer due to demand for it.

You can encounter some history inside the building as well. “Some of the timbers in here are from Fort McPherson,” Hecox said. Fort McPherson was built in the 1800′s to help pioneers safely travel west with the help of the cavalry. “There are square nails that you can see,” Hecox said. “The timbers ended up as the original corrals on my parents’ ranch. These were probably originally used around 1863.” Hecox says she also features pictures on the wall of many Native American chiefs who were in the area in the 1800′s. “People enjoy coming in here, reading about them, and looking at the pictures,” Hecox said. “My mother came from Geneva to teach school here as a young girl, and she saved these pictures through the years.”