Brown, bitter, and caffeinated, coffee seems to have everyone with a hefty to-do list in a chokehold. Spearfish, home of Black Hills State University has 12 different coffee shops, and whether or not they are necessary, they seem to all do well and stay in business.

The success of so many coffee shops cannot be attributed solely to a populous university, as they all manage to stay afloat in the summer. This could be due to tourism, considering there are popular tourist attractions nearby such as Spearfish Canyon, Mount Rushmore and Sturgis, home of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which brings in thousands of bikers each year.

Although 12 coffee shops in town with a population of less than 13,000 may seem excessive, some locals believe Spearfish has the perfect amount of coffee shops.

A few previous employees of The Black Sheep Group, which includes two of the most popular coffee shops in town, Green Bean
and Blackbird Espresso, can attest to this idea. Jadynn Outland, a previous employee at Green Bean, said both regulars and occasional visitors switch which coffee shop they frequent.

“We had a lot of regulars, but some would admit to going to other coffee shops in town and so our group of Green Bean regulars
changed up pretty often,” Outland said.

Maggie Kindsfater is the general manager for the Black Sheep Group. She believes that the college is not what necessarily keeps the
coffee shops alive; but they definitely help.

“I feel like the coffee shops that are currently in Spearfish each have a part to play and offer something different, a different experience,” Kindsfater said.

Even with the number of coffee shops that Spearfish has, most have managed to stay in business. Some shops have closed over the
last few years, but major shops in town, like Green Bean and Common Grounds, have each survived for over a decade.

Every coffee shop in Spearfish brings something new to the table, therefore there is a different atmosphere within every coffee shop in
town.

With the seemingly never-ending growth of Spearfish, it seems the amount of coffee shops in Spearfish is suitable for the population now.