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Generators rumble as lines form outside of Rêve Coffee Co. It’s parked at Olson Autos in Courtland. 

Jess Morrison has only been open for a little over a week and business is booming. She cranks out multiple orders ranging from iced coffees to lemonade and energy drinks. 

“We spent a lot of time and care, putting everything into these recipes [and] making sure they were perfect,” Morrison said. “And I want to put out something that people truly like and love as much as I do.”

Courtland just passed its mobile business ordinance this month, and it’s pretty restrictive. Morrison can’t park on public property. She can’t have signage or outdoor seating. She’s also limited as to when she can open.  

And it seems like regulations are different depending on where she goes. 

What’s not OK in Courtland may be fine in surrounding towns such as New Ulm. That frustrates Morrison. 

“I want to bring something that’s going to be beneficial and an amenity that can add value to Courtland,” she said. “And right now, I don’t know that they’re seeing it as a value. So, that’s where the disconnect is right now.”

Because of the Highway 14 bypass, Courtland’s business community needs to adapt. 

Standing in line for a latte was City Councilmember Ralph Bents. He said the arrival of mobile businesses led to hard conversations. 

“In a smaller community, there’s less real estate,” Bents said. “So, that’s the hard part for small communities to say, ‘OK, you’ve got to find this balance between the brick and mortars that are established, and they’re paying for their facility being there and have to cover those overhead costs.’ And how do you balance that with somebody that comes in and doesn’t have that much overhead cost? And so, that’s the conversation that needs to happen.”

But inside the coffee trailer, Morrison argues that while she’s not paying property taxes, because she moves around, she pays a lot in fees. 

“If you want to be in an event, it costs us to be there,” she said. “If we want to sell in each city, it costs us to be in each city. We have to get licensed by a county. So it’s not a free for all for mobile (businesses). You still have to concentrate on where you want to do business.”

These tensions aren’t new. Similar conversations happen in rural and metro communities, said Greater Minnesota Partnership Executive Director Scott McMahon.

He said cities and businesses need to work together in shaping regulatory systems supporting new businesses and addressing needs of the community. 

“If we can find ways to support people and figure out what their economic dreams are and how they’re going to accomplish it, it’s a net benefit for the community,” McMahon said. “Whether it’s something that’s on wheels or it’s something that’s behind the glass door.”

At Rêve Coffee Co. customer Ashlee Davis reached the head of the line. She drove the 15 minutes from New Ulm with her family to pick up their beverages. 

She said she wants to support Morrison’s new venture and appreciates having options. 

“The small towns around this area love to pour their heart and soul into small businesses,” Davis said. “So, food trucks like this are welcomed in many of the surrounding communities.”

There are even customers and strangers offering Morrison their driveways to use for her business. She hopes to eventually be able to help plan community events in Courtland. But she said that’s tough with the way the ordinance is currently written. 

Morrison is raising her family in Courtland, and opening up a coffee business in town was always her dream. 

“It’s already bringing people together that weren’t as close before and now we have a reason to kind of connect a little bit more frequently, and coffee does that for people,” Morrison said. “Coffee helps people connect. So, that’s what I always wanted. Let’s just build that community piece. It’s so important to me.”

And potentially lucrative. By the time Morrison closed as required by the Courtland ordinance, she served 114 customers. 

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Retail in small towns is changing, and mobile businesses are seeking their place in this new world. In Courtland, Minn., one entrepreneur with a mobile coffee shop is finding out there are pluses and minuses to being on the move.

Retail in small towns is changing, and mobile businesses are seeking their place in this new world. In Courtland in Southern Minnesota one entrepreneur with a mobile coffee shop is finding out, there are pluses and minuses to being on the move.

Mobile business owner experiences bumps in the road

A person is handed their drink at a window

Ben Hovland | MPR News

A person chats with someone through a window

A person looks out the window of a mobile coffee cart

Mobile business owner experiences bumps in the road

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