A new space for sipping and gathering has opened its doors to the community. Combining a love for the earth with a love of coffee, Misty Mountain Collective (705 N. Nevada Ave.) held a soft opening on Dec. 8.
Owners Dakota and Stormy Wilkerson told the Pikes Peak Bulletin that the first day of business was very successful.
“It’s way busier than we had expected,” Stormy exclaimed through a grin.
In her interview with the Bulletin, Stormy paused frequently to greet community members and friends stopping by to show their support.
As first-time business owners, the Wilkersons have spent their careers in service and managerial roles across Colorado Springs’ food and beverage scene. Stormy said the two had long dreamed of opening their own space, one that reflected their personal values.
“We had always wanted things to be better and more sustainable,” Stormy reflected. “At my old job, I watched hundreds of plastic cups go out the door on a daily basis and into the trash. We care deeply for the environment, and it felt like we were doing something against our morals by working somewhere that created so much trash.”
Dreaming together, the two began tinkering with the idea of opening a café on a zero-waste model.
“That was two or three years ago, and last year the building became available for rent. We thought, ‘what if we just took all of our savings and threw it at the thing we’ve always wanted to do?’” Stormy said.
And so Misty Mountain Collective came to fruition, but not without some growing pains.
“There were several hang-ups, like the roof had to be fixed, and that set us back several months. Then finally, about eight months ago, we got to start painting and decorating the space and figuring out the little details. It was a lot of learning the hard way, but it never stopped feeling worth it,” Dakota said.
“It never felt like there was an alternative. We couldn’t go backwards,” Stormy added.
Operating on a zero-waste model means striving to create as little waste as possible while running their business and serving the community. All in-house drinks are served in mugs or glasses to be returned before leaving. For to-go beverages, a $1 deposit is added to your total for the branded mason jar in which they are served. The dollar is refunded when the jar is brought back, and the jars are intended to be reused by returning customers.
Anything that cannot be reused can be recycled.
“If you care, living a more sustainable life is easy. I don’t expect to save the world, but I would love for people to see how easy it is to make a small change without drastically affecting their life,” Dakota said.
The business even works with a local zero-emissions coffee bean roaster, Humble Coffee.
“Even the people we get our coffee beans from reuse the containers they bring our product in,” Dakota said.
“As much as we could, we have mitigated waste,” he continued.
Focusing on quality over quantity or speed, the syrups used in-house are created in small batches by the Wilkersons. Working with earthy, unique flavors, Stormy said she wanted the menu to feel connected with the earth and as healthy as possible, using natural ingredients.
“I like weird, witchy apothecary herbal flavors. Our syrups are heavy on the herb to add more flavor without added sugars. For example, our lavender syrup is literally lavender, cane sugar and water,” Stormy said.
Walking into the warmly lit space feels like entering an alternate reality, one far removed from the busy stretch of Nevada Avenue. With earthy deep green and brown walls, the café creates a natural inviting vibe; a sky-painted ceiling adds a hint of whimsy. Even the bathrooms, designed to resemble a cozy cabin, offer a magical touch.
Plants line the walls, and jars sit behind the gleaming espresso machine.
“We wanted it to feel like a witch’s cabin inside a national park, like an apothecary. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved working with herbs and the earth and all things witchy,” Stormy said. “It’s more than an aesthetic for me, it’s a way of life.”
Beyond their dreams of coffee and sustainability, the couple hopes the space will be more than just a café, rather a hub for arts and community where everyone feels welcome. Acoustic nights, poetry slams, stand-up comedy, and open mic events are all in the works.
“A big goal with this business is inclusivity. I just want everyone to know they’re not alone. There are weirdos like you and me, and we all gravitate to the same places in this town. It’s worth finding each other,” Dakota said.
The downtown scene
According to Austin Wilson-Bradley, the Director of Economic Development for the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, the building in which Misty Mountain Collective resides carries quite the diverse history of business, including a credit union, a Blockbuster video store, and a cyber café in 2017.
Reflecting on the state of the food and beverage scene downtown, Wilson-Bradley said it overall appears to be “pretty strong,” citing 34 business openings downtown in 2025 – more than the 29 openings each year in 2023 and 2024.
Additionally, there were 17 business closures downtown in 2023, and 25 closures in 2024.
“Overall, food and beverage downtown seems to be pretty strong, increasing year over year at about the pace of inflation. Many (most) small retailers will tell you it’s been a tough year with rising costs due to inflation, tariffs, and labor costs primarily, and slowing consumer spending and low consumer confidence which is not unique; these are nationwide trends,” Wilson-Bradley said. “Still, we’ve had far fewer closings this year than last year, and the number of closings this year is about on-par with the long-term average. Last year’s high number of closings was very much driven by high inflation and rising rents, the latter of which has moderated this year.”
