Inspired by the old Norse skalds who traveled around telling stories and poems, Skald Coffee aims to provide a place where people can gather and connect.  

Skald Coffee’s new location off U.S. 2 south of Glacier Park International Airport provides a little bit more elbow room for the growing company, including curated spaces for groups both large and small to hang out. 

The coffee shop first opened inside the Shield Arms building in Bigfork nearly two years ago. Following the gun manufacturer’s large expansion, Shield Arms owners Seth Berglee and Brandon Zeider were interested in opening a new business in a vacant retail space at the new facility, according to Skald’s Operations Manager, Liv DePinto.  

“The goal was always to have another location, whether it be Kalispell, Whitefish or Columbia Falls. Then Brandon and Seth met Matt and Chris, the owner of this complex, and the second location was born,” she said.  

Skald was the first tenant of the new business complex, which sits adjacent to the recently constructed Silver Star Apartments south of Birch Grove Road. DePinto said being situated near housing has already made it a popular spot for residents.  

At first, there were a lot of people stopping by because they were curious about the new construction.  

“We have quite a few regulars who live over there (in the apartments) and then we also have people who work in the casino come over to get their coffee and say hi,” DePinto said.  “But business has been good. I do think once summer hits, with us being this close to the airport, we'll see a pretty significant boom in foot traffic.” 

Skald shares the complex with Longshot Lounge, a golf simulator, lounge and casino, which opened in January.  

The coffee shop features a covered drive-thru, a large interior (with a bookable conference room) and a kitchen serving up dishes from their food truck, which is a favorite for customers at the Bigfork location.  

“When I first started at Shield Arms in 2019, Brandon always talked about wanting to start a food truck, and he had all these ideas for recipes that he wanted to do. He wanted it to be local, with high-quality meat and no seed oils,” she said. 

They decided to open a food truck to accompany the new coffee shop. Soon, they became known for the breakfast burritos, DePinto said.  

“We get the meat from a farmer who lives here in the Flathead Valley, and he doesn't use hormones, he doesn't use additives. The meat is also processed here in Montana, and then we also make the chipotle mayo. Our mayo doesn't have any seed oils in it. It's 100% avocado oil,” she said.  

DePinto said much of the food is made in the kitchen at Loon Lake Campground, which they rent from Flathead County 4-H. They also have an emphasis on serving baked goods that are gluten-free and dairy-free, with the homemade gluten-free brioche waffles and selections from Red Poppy Bakery in Kalispell. 

Finding the right coffee was also important to the owners, DePinto said. Part of the decision to open Skald came from a family connection — Berglee's sister and her husband opened up a coffee roasting company in Casper, Wyoming. With a high-quality roaster on board, DePinto said Berglee and Zeider were ready to open Skald at the Bigfork location.  

In the years since, Copper Cup Coffee Company has worked with Skald to develop a custom house blend. 

“We have a Costa Rica bean that we get from them when it's in season, like during the summertime. We have a 100% Kaʻū coffee that we order directly from a farm in Kaʻū and then they ship it to Dave, and he does a dark and medium roast of that for us,” DePinto said.  

While the location in Bigfork leans a little more industrial, Skald’s new location was built to feel warm and inviting. DePinto said an inspiration for the owners was The Prancing Pony from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” with more light and less grit, of course.  

“We have warm wood tones, some sheepskin fur on the chairs ... just kind of that old tavern gathering space is what we wanted. We even have our kind of Tolkien-esque map that we've got painted on the wall,” DePinto said, referencing a large map of the Flathead Valley painted like Middle-earth, which is the fictional setting for “The Lord of the Rings.”  

The cafe will host a Spring Garden Market on April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where attendees can browse the outdoor patio to find locally grown perennial starts, garden tools, vintage items, handmade crafts, fresh baked goods and local honey. 

Skald Coffee is located at 15 Glacier Ranch Way in Kalispell. It’s open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit skaldcoffee.com.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Skald Coffee's Kalispell location at 15 Glacier Ranch Way on Tuesday, March 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Kyle McCormack makes an espresso at Skald Coffee, located at 15 Glacier Ranch Way, on Tuesday, March 31. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider