Flying M Coffee: Brewing Community, Creativity & Queer Visibility in Idaho

Idaho isn't the state you'd bet on for a queer-owned community landmark. But tucked into downtown Boise, Flying M Coffee has spent over three decades proving that assumption wrong — one cup, one art show, and one Pride flag at a time.

🌟 How It Started: A Seattle Coffee Boom Followed Them Home

In July 1992, Kevin and Lisa Myers opened the first Flying M Coffeehouse in downtown Boise with their friend Kirk Montgomery. The three had met in Seattle attending the University of Washington, right as the city's coffee scene was exploding — and they brought that obsession home with them. The name, by the way, comes from Kevin's family cattle brand back in Washington's Yakima Valley. Coffee, it turns out, was the second act.

What started on North 5th Street with mismatched furniture and a genuinely weird little gift shop grew into one of Boise's most beloved gathering spots — the kind of place regulars measure their lives by.

💌 Valentine for AIDS: 26 Years, Half a Million Dollars

From 1994 to 2019, Flying M hosted the Valentine for AIDS art show every February — over 200 local artists contributing work to a silent auction benefiting Treasure Valley nonprofits serving people living with HIV/AIDS. Over its 26-year run, the event raised more than half a million dollars. That's not a marketing stat. That's a community deciding, year after year, to show up for each other.

🔥 From One Coffeehouse to a Small Idaho Empire

In 1995, Kevin started roasting beans himself on a signature purple Diedrich drum roaster. What began as one shop is now a small family of Flying M locations, each with its own personality:

• Boise Flying M Coffeehouse — opened 1992, sold to longtime manager Kent Collins in 2011. Perennial Best of Boise winner in the Boise Weekly.
• Nampa Flying M Coffeegarage — opened 2006 inside a converted Firestone garage, now a 6,000-square-foot hub for coffee, art, and roasting operations.
• Caldwell Flying M — opened 2018 by Caleb and Tori McKim, part of Historic Downtown Caldwell's revitalization.
• McCall Flying M Coffee Lakeside — opened August 2024 by longtime Nampa staffer Candis and her sister Carrie, bringing the Flying M vibe to Idaho's mountain lake town.

The Nampa Coffeegarage upgraded to a Loring S35 Kestrel roaster in 2023, and a 2024 remodel added a tasting room for cuppings and coffee classes. Small business, serious craft.

🏳️‍🌈 A Pride Flag Over the Door, Every Single Day

When Kent Collins — a longtime manager who's gay — bought the Boise location in 2011, he brought his own identity and values into the brand without changing what made it work.

"We're definitely one of the most liberal businesses in Idaho," Kent says. "We fly a Pride flag and a Trans flag above our front door year-round. Over half our employees are queer. As someone who knows how important safe spaces are, I want everyone to feel that sense of belonging the moment they walk in."

In a state that's grown more conservative in recent years, that's not a small thing. The flags over the door aren't decoration — they're a stated position.

"Idaho has gotten more conservative in recent years," Kent adds. "So it's more important than ever to keep up the good fight."

☕ More Than Coffee

Flying M is proof that a small, unglamorous local business can still be a genuine act of community care. Art, activism, and espresso, all under one weird, wonderful roof. If you're ever in Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, or McCall, stop in — the coffee's good, and so is what it stands for.

📍 Flying M Coffeehouse
500 W Idaho St, Boise, ID 83702
☕ flyingmcoffee.com | Follow on Instagram @flyingmcoffee