Where Washington and Lincoln meet, Presidents Coffee pours new life into Gettysburg’s historic Epley Building
By Karen Hendricks | Photography by Casey Martin
This November, at the height of America’s presidential election season, Gettysburg will be celebrating an entirely different kind of presidential milestone: Presidents Coffee, located at 100 Chambersburg St., will be marking its first anniversary.
While Gettysburg is often known as “the crossroads of history,” its latest coffee shop name is a nod to a presidential intersection.
“Chambersburg Street, Route 30, is known as the Lincoln Highway, and here we are at the corner of Washington Street,” explains Tom Pottiger, who co-owns the shop with his wife, Emily. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to create a logo of Washington and Lincoln sharing a cup of coffee?’ So the name, Presidents Coffee, gives respect to our location.”
We’re not used to seeing images of George Washington in Gettysburg. But there he is, our nation’s first president, in colonial garb, having a cup of coffee aside a more familiar historical figure in Gettysburg—the Civil War era’s Abraham Lincoln. Outlines of the two presidents, mugs in hand, are etched into the huge glass windows.
Coffee is known for inspiring conversations, and the Pottigers say customer comments regularly fall into three categories—the coffee shop’s name, memories of its iconic building and—of course—the coffee itself, which is infusing Gettysburg residents and visitors alike with new brews.
Architectural Gem
The stately white Epley Building, inscribed with “1916” at the top, has gone through countless reincarnations as a steady stream of small businesses have inhabited it through the years. But its Beaux Arts architecture initially housed Gettysburg’s Studebaker showroom.
“It speaks to the revitalization of Gettyburg, post-Civil War,” says Tom. “It was originally built with a theater in mind, but never completed.”
The entrepreneurial Pottigers, who also own and operate a wedding photography and videography business (Tom and Em Weddings), were inspired by the building’s original, creative vibe and the natural light flowing through those tall glass windows topped with decorative stained glass.
“I’ve always loved coffee, and, in the back in mind, I always wanted to open a coffee shop someday,” Tom says. “In high school, I ran the coffee cart in my church—that was my first venture into coffee. And my mom was in management for Chick-fil-A, known for its gold standard of hospitality, so I learned a lot of lessons about how to treat customers as I was growing up.”
Although the building is in the same block as Gettysburg’s OG coffeehouse, The Ragged Edge, the couple says they have nothing but respect for all Gettysburg coffee shops; nearly all of them are locally owned and operated, and each offers distinctly different coffee and vibes.
“This space was speaking to us; the building gave us inspiration for our vision,” says Emily.
That vision included what the couple describes as a coffee-forward menu inside and an outward focus on building community.
Coffee Forward
“First and foremost, we set out to create a space that prioritized craft coffee and tea—more of a specialty area of the coffee industry,” says Emily.
The couple partnered with Lancaster’s renowned Passenger Coffee for the foundation of Presidents Coffee’s menu.
“Passenger is one of the leaders in the coffee industry, as far as sourcing and roasting,” says Tom. “They’re also Certified B and that was a big factor in us choosing them.”
The B Corp Certification means Passenger has met stringent standards for sustainability, social and environmental impact. Passenger was named the No. 5 top small roaster in the world and
No. 1 in the United States by 2023 industry rankings. It’s because of their single-origin coffees, says Tom, “like being farm-to-table in the coffee industry.”
Cusco is one of those single-origin coffees—with hints of chocolate, marzipan and red fruit—hailing from Cusco, Peru. Others include Agaro (bergamot, peach and Meyer lemon) hailing from Jimma, Ethiopia, and Heza (raspberry, apricot and black tea) hailing from Kayanza, Burundi.
“We also offer fun, flavored lattes—like our Apple Queen Latte—but underneath you can still taste the [exceptional]coffee,” Tom explains.
Fall menu standouts include an incredible Amber Mocha Latte—blending espresso, mocha and milk with a spicy kick of cayenne pepper, while the delightful Last Taste of Summer Latte features espresso, milk and honey with the warm lingering flavor of summertime peaches.
Presidents’ food menu offers authentic New York-made bagels, while pastries and muffins hail from Gettysburg’s Sweeter than SAP and Waynesboro’s sister-run Postmasters Coffee + Bakery. Breakfast sandwiches, made in-house, offer a hearty handful of bacon and eggs topped with sweet bell peppers and a scrumptious lime chili aioli on ciabatta.
Family Focus
The Pottigers, both 28, currently live in New Oxford—Emily’s hometown. Even though Tom is from New Jersey, the couple met as teens and became long-distance high school sweethearts who attended college together and have been married for six years.
Their daughter Sophia was born two weeks after opening Presidents Coffee.
Coffee may be in the family’s DNA—Emily’s sister and brother-in-law recently purchased Hanover’s Reader’s Café, renaming it Little Fox Coffee and Books. Emily’s father, former Gettysburg teacher Ray Gouker—also the founder of Adams Community Television—helped Tom build Presidents Coffee’s long oak bench in his workshop.
Presidents’ community-building events include coffee shop yoga and morning runs led by Tom.
Barista Ashley Callahan, 27, of New Oxford, describes Presidents Coffee’s culture as “like a little family.” Her typical weekdays begin at 4:30 a.m.
“I like coming in to get everything going,” says Ashley. “I get to watch the sunrise and the traffic pick up in downtown Gettysburg. The first customers—the commuter crowd—we’re all waking up together.”
While she pours coffee and concocts beautiful latte art, she’s also connecting with customers.
“I love people and hearing their stories. We’re all sharing the human experience, and that’s one of my favorite parts of the job,” she says.
And while Presidents Coffee celebrates its first year this November, the Pottigers are already anticipating their second anniversary. That’s because many previous businesses at that location never made it past the second year of business—a local legend relayed by downtown neighbors.
As the story goes, one of the original would-be theater owners shot the other, putting a curse on the building, Tom explains, noting he couldn’t find and substantiate this legend anywhere.
“I’m already planning a two-year anniversary party for next November, a break-the-curse party,” Emily says with a laugh.
“We’ve had a lot of positive feedback, on a daily basis,” adds Tom. “That gives us motivation—we want to stay and thrive in this area.”
Presidents Coffee
100 Chambersburg St., Gettysburg
Holiday Collab
“We want to collaborate with the community, and we were thrilled when Main Street Gettysburg came to us and asked us to create a drink menu for the Gettysburg Christmas Festival,” says Tom Pottiger of Presidents Coffee.
Look for the Presidents Coffee cart, offering spiked lattes: Peppermint Espresso Martinis and Salted Caramel Lattes spiked with caramel moonshine. The festival is the first weekend in December.
