Built from the Ground Up
Before 1889 Coffee House, this spot on Prospect Ave was a gas station. Brett Wiensch, his daughter Ashley, and his daughter Danielle saw something else — a place Helena was missing.
The Wiensch Family
Brett is a Great Falls native and U.S. military veteran. Ashley and Danielle are his daughters and partners in the business. Together, they spent twenty months turning a demolished gas station into something they'd want to walk into every morning.
They considered buying an existing place. Instead, they built one from scratch — something family-oriented, something that felt like home. Brett puts it simply: "We want to be like your house."
Why 1889?
Montana became a state on November 8, 1889. The name was a natural fit — and when Ghost Town Coffee Roasters in Bozeman offered to create a custom "1889 Signature Blend," it felt like the right partnership from the start.
The walls display photographs from the Montana Historical Society. Every Statehood Day, the shop donates to the Society. The name isn't decoration. It's a commitment.
Veteran Owned. Community First.
Brett served in the U.S. military before spending fourteen years in the liquor industry. When he opened 1889, he brought that same sense of service with him.
The shop employs 35 people, including Carroll College students and individuals with disabilities. Every Tuesday from 2:30 to 3:30, any veteran can walk in for free coffee and conversation — no strings, no signup.
Opening day proceeds went to the Montana Historical Society. Additional days support Helena nonprofits. It's how the Wiensches think a local business should run.
Come Say Hello
Thirty-five people work here. One family started it. The whole community keeps it going.