Tolly's Coffee now open

There is once again a coffee shop on Flaming Gorge Way. Tolly's Coffee opened its doors not too long ago, on Sept. 21. Tolly's Coffee's owner, Susan Taliaferro Hehr is not new in town, nor is she new to the building. She owns the building, as well as Up-Up and Away Flowers-Balloons and Southwest Beauty Academy, all of which are located in the building.

"This building has been in my family for as long as I can remember," Hehr said.

The story of Hehr's coffee shop and the building goes back to the year 1905, when it was constructed by her grandfather Thomas Seddon Taliaferro Jr., and became the Green River Mercantile. The space Tolly's Coffee is in now is where the Piggly Wiggly, a grocery store in the mercantile was then. The building eventually went to her father, Edward L. Taliaferro.

"Everybody called him Tolly," Hehr said. "I named my coffee shop after my father ... (He was a) very popular individual, a very kind person."

She bought the building after her father's passing in 1986, from her father's estate.

"It had been in my family forever, and I wanted it to continue," she said.

Since owning the building, she's rented out the space Tolly's Coffee is in now to various businesses over the years. One popular business she rented the space out to had been a coffee shop called The Book and Bean.

"We all loved it very much," she said. "I really miss The Book and Bean ... I thought, I want to put a coffee shop back on this side of town."

Hehr's coffee shop offers a variety of beverages, including coffee, lattes, other espresso drinks, hot chocolate and teas. Tolly's also offers a variety of treats, including their homemade breakfast burritos. The burritos have been a big hit so far, she said. She hopes to expand her menu later, with soups and sandwiches and other coffee shop staples, all with her own twist.

Tolly's Coffee also offers free private WiFi. Business hours are 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday - Friday.

"I will change hours to accommodate customers," Hehr said.

She also would like to be open on the weekends as well, but still needs weekend help.

"I just want it to be a good place for people to come and meet and enjoy conversation and a cup of coffee," Hehr said "We're going to add a lot more, but we've gotta learn to do what we do right now OK and then we can expand."