Software Career Ends as Dayton Family Reopens Old Gas Station for Coffee

Isabelle, Asa and Elijah Knapp opened Elliott Coffee in 2024 inside a century-old gas station and mechanic shop on a bend in the Ohio River in Dayton, Kentucky. The building sits about 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. Lines of customers have at times stretched around the block.

Elijah Knapp left a career in software to start the business. His wife worked as a nurse. Shortly after the family signed the lease, they learned a child was on the way, which raised the stakes on the venture.

"We've been so fortunate that people have shown up in droves to support what we're doing," Knapp said.

The shop's coffee comes from roasters in Edinburgh, Scotland; Los Angeles; and Central America. Knapp said the work of growing, processing, shipping and roasting a cup is what the business aims to respect. "It's not a competition as much as it is wanting to honor the product itself," he said.

He also described what a morning at the shop can look like: "There's something that you can't recreate about the experience of someone walking their dog here in the morning, grabbing a cup of coffee, walking home."

Knapp said the wait for coffee is part of what draws people in, and he acknowledged the stop can cost more and take longer than a typical coffee run. Customers can "still walk away and be like, 'This is a great experience,'" he said.

Elliott Coffee remains open in the former service station, where lines of customers continue to form.