Highway oasis
Dec. 23—WASHTUCNA — For a lot of SR 26, there's not a lot to see. One wheat field follows another as the interminable miles blur together. Then you dip into a small coulee and there before you, at the edge of Washtucna, is Java Bloom.
"We wanted to do something at the corner here to help travelers since we're out in the middle of nowhere," said Patricia Hulett, who owns Java Bloom with her husband Bill. "To give people a place to stop and refresh."
"Middle of nowhere" is right. Java Bloom is the only place to get a cup of coffee or a sandwich between Othello and Colfax, a stretch of about 95 miles. There used to be a small store at Dusty, another 33 miles east, but it closed up in late 2016 or early 2017, according to its social media. Java Bloom also serves as kind of a community hub in this town of a little over 200. There are UPS shipping, fax and copying services, Hulett said. Java Bloom also stocks some basic groceries, since the grocery store in town isn't in business anymore.
"We have our coffee hour every morning," Hulett said. As many as eight people come by at 9 a.m. to sip coffee and socialize, she explained. "It keeps them from getting lonely."
Washtucna is also the gateway to Palouse Falls, and Hulett said the shop gets plenty of folks traveling to visit that attraction.
The Huletts have been operating Java Bloom for 22 years, Hulett said. They started out by taking barista training with Tully's, a Seattle-based coffee company owned by Keurig Dr Pepper.
"(It takes) a lot to pour a perfect shot and produce the nectar of the gods," Hulett said.
Java Bloom doesn't serve Tully's coffee, though; the Huletts prefer to offer coffee from Dillano's, a smaller family-owned roaster based in Sumner, between Seattle and Tacoma. Java Bloom's coffee menu is a full array of blends and flavorings. There's also a gourmet hot dog bar with Longhorn German sausage and beef dogs, made in eastern Washington.
That takes care of the "Java" part of the name, but what about the "Bloom?" Well, the shop doubles as a florist shop, although fresh flowers and plants are stocked seasonally. In addition to flowers, though, Java Bloom has several rooms dedicated to fine glassware and antiques, stemming from Patricia's passion for history and genealogy.
"We've been doing antiques and collectibles," she said. "The glassware is made so different now than it used to be: the quality and the clarity, Vaseline glass and glass that contains gold. It's because of the skill that went into the handmade blown glass and cut glass."
Visitors can also take a look at some relics from an earlier age that are on display but not for sale.
"Genealogy was kind of my background with my grandmother, and my mother is also into genealogy," she said. "So we have memory boxes in the back with probably 150 years' worth of different knickknacks and, and crafts from the old days."
Naturally, Java Bloom stocks Cougars paraphernalia, since so many travelers on Highway 26 are headed to and from Washington State University. The little shop is the interface between the tiny town and the busy highway, the lone oasis on a long road.
"There's a lot of a lot of need for people to have a break at this time in their travels," Hulett said.
Joel Martin may be reached at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.
