Hardline Coffee Puts Its Foot Down with Northwest Iowa Flagship Cafe

Inside the Eco Hub and Hardline Coffee shop in downtown Sioux City, Iowa. All images courtesy of Hardline Coffee.

Though permanence hasn’t come easy, Hardline Coffee has solidified its place in Sioux City, Iowa, with the opening of its new roastery and cafe. 

After launching and with a mobile cart then opening and closing a separate brick-and-mortar cafe, the independent business now lives inside the 120-year-old Levich Building in Sioux City’s Historic Fourth Street District. Occupied by a collective of local businesses, the revitalized building has been dubbed the Eco Hub. 

In 400 square feet of the wide open space, the Hardline’s 1-kilogram Mill City Roasters machine cranks out roasts for the cafe, wholesale accounts and online sales. A roasted coffee subscription program is launching soon, as is “an exciting upgrade” to the roastery, according to Hardline Coffee Founder and Owner Nisa Salmen. 

All these changes are major upgrades in a space whose previous tenant, an adult bookstore, moved out 10 years ago.

“When my friend, Sam [Dailey], purchased the building in 2021, it was very dark and closed off, as one may expect,” Salmen told Daily Coffee News. “Her vision was to open up the space and create a radiant, comfortable environment for people to gather.”

Salmen, who previously worked full-time in construction and ran the coffee company on nights and weekends after launching it in 2018, brought her own experience to bear on the design location’s kitchen and roastery, and to the build of the recycled wooden bars and tables. 

“We chose to repurpose as many materials as possible when curating the space,” said Salmen. “The building is also on the national historical registry, so all upgrades were made with consideration for longevity and environmental impact.”

Several eco-friendly and sustainability-minded businesses are expected to join the Eco Hub, including a vintage clothing shop and dry bar combo called Winnie’s, whose non-alcoholic cocktail program is a fitting parallel to Hardline’s crafty seasonal concoctions like the spiced pear latte with cardamom bitters, or the Son Of A Nutcracker latte with pecan sauce and cinnamon.

“We implement a lot of mixology in the design and preparation of our beverages, which has made it easy to branch out to refreshers and tea based mixed beverages,” said Salmen. “Our seasonal menu rotates every three months, allowing us to put a fun spin on some old favorites and play with new flavor combinations.”

Hardline also offers classic cafe drinks, using house-made syrups, complemented by vegan and gluten-free pastries. 

Hardline first introduced itself to Sioux City on the wheels of a coffee cart built by Salmen and outfitted with second-hand gear purchased from friends at Omaha, Nebraska-based Amateur Coffee. Salmen later bootsrapped a brick-and-mortar location while bringing roasting in house. 

“The business then quite miraculously survived my maternity leave and the COVID-19 pandemic before making the move to our second location,” said Salmen, who built the bar, shelving, tables and seating at that shop, which closed prior to the opening of the new location.  

Hardline Coffee Founder and Roaster Nisa Salmen.

Many of the people who helped bring the second shop to life chipped in to do the same for the new shop, which maintains Hardline’s unrelenting focus on makers, artists and creators. 

Situated among lively bars, restaurants, hotels and other local businesses enthusiastic about revitalization in downtown Sioux City, Hardline is hoping to be a space for more community events. 

“We host anything from local art pop ups, live storytelling, and baby showers to drag brunches and punk shows,” said Salmen. “I have always had the goal of placing the shop in our historic district, so it has been a joy to see this location come to life. Customers have noted how much they enjoy the space, which makes us all the more proud to call it home.”

Hardline Coffee is located at 1004 4th St in Sioux City, Iowa. Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. 

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