From Food Truck To Storefront

What began with a food trailer and a vision in 2020 has grown into a brick-andmortar business that is preparing to celebrate its first anniversary.

After five years of learning, taking chances and building her business, owner Kaitlyn Dahlberg opened the doors to her storefront on Aug. 25, 2025. One year later, she is looking back on the work that brought her there — and thanking the community that helped make it possible.

The first day in the new location was memorable, even if much of it now feels like a blur.

“It was pretty busy,” she said. “It was getting in the swing of things.”

Moving into a permanent location meant adjusting to making sandwiches throughout the day, keeping ingredients prepped and learning the rhythm of operating a storefront.

“It was kind of chaotic,” Dahlberg said. “I hardly remember anything. It’s been all a blur.”

Before opening the store, she operated her food trailer three days a week in Froid while also traveling to events and other communities. The storefront brought a much dierent schedule, with the business now open Monday through Saturday.

While she expected long hours and hard work, one of the biggest learning experiences has been discovering what customers want from the store.

Dahlberg said the community’s response has exceeded her expectations and shown her there was a greater need for the business than she initially realized.

The past year has also included plenty of work behind the scenes. Much of the remodeling and improvements have been completed by the owner herself with help from family, requiring her to balance everyday business expenses with saving for the next project.

Of all the improvements, one stands out.

The espresso bar was a project she completed alongside her father. The two worked together to install shiplap, first laying out the pieces to determine the pattern. “He would go cut a piece, and he’d bring it back and I’d put it up there and nail gun it down,” she said. “He was the cutter and I was the nail gun person.”

The project holds special meaning because espresso and specialty drinks have long been a passion of hers.

Lessons learned during her years operating the food trailer have also been carried into the storefront. She said the experience taught her about marketing, working with food distributors and having the discipline needed to stay ahead of the day’s work.

Preparation, she learned, can make all the dierence when customers begin coming through the door.

“Setting deadlines, making sure that you have all the food that you need prepped and everything will make your day a whole lot easier instead of trying to do it mid-rush and chop lettuce or onions,” she said.

Although moving into the storefront meant giving up much of the traveling, she did with the trailer, having one permanent location has allowed the business to be available to customers more consistently.

Now, as the store has reached its first anniversary, she wants the celebration to be about the customers who helped her reach the milestone.

The business celebrated Aug. 25 with aogatos — a combination of espresso and ice cream — along with ice cream cups, treats and giveaways. Special coee mugs and gift cards were also among the prizes.

The turnout at the open house was full of people excited to reminisce on Kaitlyn’s and how much of an impact it has made on the community to have her business there to help serve the community.

“Espresso is, like, my main passion,” Dahlberg said, explaining why she chose affogatos for the celebration.

Even after a year of improvements, there is still work to be done. Future projects include painting additional walls and improving an area near the espresso machine that currently lacks insulation. Each project is another opportunity to make the building more e ient while putting her own touch on the space.

Looking back to October 2020, when the business journey began, she said reaching the storefront remains one of her proudest accomplishments.

“I put a lot of pride into what I have accomplished and done throughout the last six years,” she said.

The store means enough to her that even spending an afternoon away can leave her looking forward to returning.

“I miss coming back in,” she said.

For someone who was once told the goal of owning a storefront could not be accomplished within five years, reaching it sooner than expected has made the milestone especially meaningful.

“I guess probably the store is what I’m most proud of because I’ve achieved my goal,” she said.

As for where the next five years will lead, she isn’t putting strict limits on the possibilities.

Instead, she plans to continue doing much of what brought the business this far — learning, listening to her customers and taking opportunities as they come.

“I hope to take whatever happens with the future and keep on moving, keep on growing,” she said.