5 minute read
Coffee and Community
Coffee and Community
How faith, family and farming fueled the vision of the Filling Station
By Haley Banwart
In Iowa, convenience stores have a unique way of becoming small-town staples. These seemingly modest markets are often a community gathering place, providing jobs and essential services for nearby residents and serving as a hub for locals to share coffee and conversation.
That's exactly what The Filling Station, a fourth-generation, family-owned-and-operated business, has been offering the Ames community since 1983.
Not Your Average Gas Station
Located along University Boulevard just south of Highway 30, The Filling Station delivers far more than the ordinary roadside stop inside and out.
The store’s charming red roof and white shiplap exterior channel the quintessential farmsteads of rural Iowa, with a mini cupola and weathervane completing the effect. At the main entrance, strands of string lights cascade over a modern wood-slated pergola offering shade and an inviting atmosphere for patrons lounging on the patio.
The building is half restaurant and half convenience store, with full gas service available out front. Inside The Filling Station, attention to detail continues with fresh food options, elevated service, and a contemporary and curated environment that could rival any customer’s favorite coffee shop.
“Our vision was to capture café culture and create a space where people could gather, drink coffee and exchange ideas regardless of politics, religion or their world views,” says entrepreneur and owner Steve Burgason. “We’ve always been drawn to the neutrality a coffee shop represents.”
Steve and his wife Anne were inspired to open their coffee shop after living in Vienna and performing ministry work in Eastern Europe. The couple enjoyed visiting local coffee houses, including the famous Café Central, where historical figures like Freud and Trotsky used to frequent.
Eventually, Steve and Anne moved back to Ames, where they re-established their roots and started a small coffee kiosk called Burgie’s Coffee at the North Grand Mall in 1992.
With Wisdom Comes Success
Around the same time Steve and Anne opened their coffee kiosk, Steve’s parents — Verle and Jo — were considering selling The Country Store, a gas station they owned on the south edge of town.
“The site had no canopy, poor lighting and was located in an area that hadn’t been developed yet,” Steve shares. “The store was struggling to turn a profit.”
Despite their doubts, Steve and Anne decided to buy The Country Store, which they would later remodel and rename The Filling Station.
“We shut off the self-talk holding us back and set out to find good mentors who could share their wisdom and teach us the business,” he says.
One of those mentors was Jeanette Mesecher. Mesecher had previous management experience in the industry and helped Steve and Anne identify areas for improvement. She would become the first member of The Filling Station family, celebrating 30 years as a manager in 2023.
With hard work and persistence, Steve and Anne’s business ventures and passion for quality food and service would leave a lasting impact on the Ames community.
Today, The Filling Station features unique offerings, including a scratch bakery, a famous tenderloin sandwich, catering services and more. For the past three decades, the Burgason family has continued operating Burgie’s Coffee — expanding to two locations in Ames and a drive-thru/ walk-up site in Nevada.
Passing Down the Entrepreneurial Spirit
Steve credits his parents for playing a significant role in passing on the entrepreneurial spirit that runs in the Burgason family.
Having grown up on his family farm near Munterville, Iowa, Verle had always dreamed of raising his four children in a rural setting. When a fire broke out at Verle and Jo’s home in Ames on Christmas morning in 1965, the life-altering experience set that dream into motion.
The family moved to the south edge of town, resettling on 55 acres of farmland. Verle continued to work downtown at the Ames Tribune, where he was an advertising rep before becoming an owner of the paper.
A true businessperson, Verle instilled his trade skills in his children. The Burgasons raised sweet corn on their acreage, and Steve recalls a summer his father asked him to negotiate the price with the local Fareway manager.
“Later on, I realized Dad had probably arranged the meeting and already agreed on a price, but the experience proved valuable. Little did I know, 40 years later, I would be negotiating the sale of our coffee beans at the very same Fareway location.”
Now Steve and Anne are passing down the same legacy to their three adult children — Jordan, Andrew and Casee. Together with their spouses and children, the next generation continues to grow the Burgason family business, including a development project, Ansley Ames, that will sit on the same 55 acres Verle and Jo found refuge in almost 60 years ago.
