Steam Anchors serves up coffee and a sense of community

In this Local 4 News Community Spotlight special report, we’re checking out the go-to coffee spot in Fulton. 

At one time, Steam Anchor Coffee and Cafe was just a fun idea for co-owner Benjamin Wilbur. 

“I was going through college and wanting a space to sit down and study and things like that and there really wasn’t anything in the area so that’s kind of where the idea started to stem from,” he said. 

At first, Paige Wilbur says she was hesitant when her husband told her about his big idea. 

“I thought ‘what?!’ We’d never done coffee,” she said. “We liked to sit and drink coffee!” 

But before long, they were talking about making this dream a reality and they couldn’t do it alone.

So Benjamin turned to his brother Nathaniel and his wife Karli. At first, Nathaniel said it didn’t sound like a good idea, but in the end…

“he can be very convincing,” said Nathaniel with a laugh.

Together, Nathaniel and his wife Karli figured out how to navigate their new marriage and new business.  

“It’s been fun,” said Karli. “It’s been a learning process.”

After starting their business in the Quad Cities, they later moved their business back to their hometown, Fulton. And today, all four of the Wilbur’s own the corner coffee shop. 

“We get to praise each other in our accomplishments and we walk through some of the tough times together as well,” said Benjamin. “I wouldn’t do it without them.”

And it didn’t take long for Steam Anchors to become one of the most popular spots in town. 

“We kept thinking of a name we kept saying ‘man we want to be a staple in the community we want to be a place where everybody can go,’ and the more we said ‘staple,’ the more it became anchor,” said Benjamin. 

Today, they’re living up to their name. 

“Not one day that I come in and see a line out the door and think ‘oh yeah another day’ you know? Every day it’s amazing to me,” said Benjamin.

But being popular isn’t their top priority.  

“When you walk in here we want you to have that feeling like you walk in and you just got home,” said Nathaniel. 

And for this team, home is where the heart is. 

“We say coffee and food- it’s what we do, but it’s not what we are,” said Benjamin. “Who we are is all about people and that’s our heartbeat.”

So whether you’re stopping by for good food, a quick pick-me-up or some Fulton hospitality, there’s something for everyone at Steam Anchor.