Ammo Can Coffee in Soldotna is no Starbucks. In fact, owner Jason Floyd has described it as “the conservative response to Starbucks.”
“You see a lot of hipster places, socially progressive or environmentally progressive brands that are all about recycling or being stewards of the environment,” Floyd said. “But where’s the advocate for the shotgun-carrying, chainsaw-operating, four-wheel driving, blue-blooded American son and daughter that love their country and have served their country?”
The windows are adorned with posters and stickers supporting President Donald Trump, the NRA and the anti-abortion movement. Floyd said that he doesn’t try to hide his conservative beliefs and wants his business to be a place where other people can be free to express those beliefs.
He has been running the business his wife and their five kids since June of 2015. Over the years the store has grown from a coffee cart at local festivals to a permanent location on the Kenai Spur Highway.
They used to be set up at the Peninsula Center Mall in a small location next to Sportsman’s Warehouse, but moved into a shopping center on the Kenai Spur Highway — near Joann Fabrics and across from the Best Western King Salmon — on Black Friday of last year.
The current location is much larger and has a conference room and WiFi lounge that Floyd can rent out to local organizations.
Floyd’s two oldest children spent their teenage years working in the shop, and his son Liam carried that experience to college, where he is currently the manager of the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Student Union coffee shop. Now Floyd’s youngest daughter, Julia, works in the shop as well, and his two youngest sons are well on the way.
“This will probably end up being her (Julia’s) shop,” Floyd said. “The customers love her … she’s just got a spark for this.”
Floyd said that his overtly political aesthetic has drawn ire from some, but he has also reached a community that includes veterans who say they feel more welcome in his store than other coffee shops.
“For every one person that gets disgusted by our anti-abortion signs or our Trump flags, we’ll get five more that say ‘I came in because of your signs,’” he said.
True to its name, Ammo Can Coffee welcomes gun owners and even offers a discount to those who are carrying inside the shop. Floyd said that he asks every person who walks in if they’re carrying. He said he feels being aware of everyone who has a gun creates a safer environment that fosters responsible gun ownership.
Floyd’s long-term goals include replacing Starbucks as the coffee chain represented at every military base in the country and wants to franchise the business out to veterans and their families. He is also hoping for an angel investor to give him a financial boost to his big plans.
“I’m waiting for a Mark Cuban to walk through the door and say ‘I like what you’re doing here,’” Floyd said. “Of course, I don’t think Mark would like my signs too much.”
Ammo Can Coffee is located at 35559 Kenai Spur Highway and can be contacted by calling 907-831-6003.
