Food & Drink: Camden’s Coffee House

By Emma Castleberry

Back in 2017, Dave Bohager noticed a major gap in the community landscape of Mars Hill: there was no local coffee shop. “When we traveled we would always visit local coffee shops and knew Mars Hill was in desperate need of one,” he says. So, he found a vacant building for a decent rent price and looped in his daughter Alex and son Camden, then 17 and 19 years old respectively.

“I didn’t have the time to run one so they said they would do it,” he says. “My brother-in-law Phillip Evans heard about what we were doing and wanted to be a part of it. So he invested in it with us and it then became our family business. So, with zero coffee experience, we started a coffee shop.”

They drew from their coffee-shop travel experiences all over the country to design the space. “We love to sit and read and sip coffee,” says Bohager, “and with the University there, we thought ‘The Library’ was a great name for a coffee shop—The Library Coffee House. We wanted people to stay and enjoy the music, the friends and the vibe. We are not a quick, drive-thru coffee chain. We wanted to be the exact opposite.”

They filled the place with comfortable chairs and couches and copious books from Bohager’s wife’s collection. Mars Hill had its first local coffee shop.

In June 2020, Camden was running the shop as its manager. He was 22 years old. “He had a skateboarding accident and he didn’t survive due to the impact to his head,” says Bohager. “The locals and students embraced the shop through our tragedy.” They renamed the space Camden’s Coffee House in honor of Camden.

Bohager’s sister, Mary Hametz, came to visit right after the accident and volunteered at the shop when it reopened. “She had no barista or retail experience, but fell in love with the shop, the locals and the students,” says Bohager. “She has been there ever since and is now co-owner and manager.”

Camden lives on through the relationships that are built at the coffee shop. “We want you to come in, bring a friend or two, stay a while and enjoy the local energy of Madison County,” says Bohager. “We want to greet you when you walk in and let you know we’ll miss you when you leave. Camden got along with everyone and was everyone’s friend. His smile was contagious, we try to keep that as a theme as we continue the shop in his honor.”

That philosophy extends to how the Bohager’s source ingredients for their menu. “From day one we teamed up with Matt McDaniel of Cooperative Roasters in Asheville,” says Bohager. “He not only supplies us with great coffee beans from all over the world but with his knowledge and expertise he trained our staff and continues to help us be the best coffee shop we can. He also created our Camden’s Blend, which is a Central and South American Blend with hints of chocolate, almonds and caramel. We also work with local bakeries such as West End Bakery, Bruegger’s Bagels and French Broad Bakery, all in Asheville.”

Signature drinks at Camden’s Coffee House are The Camden (a white chocolate mocha), The Alex (a cinnamon and salted honey latte) and The Duke (a vanilla, caramel, chocolate mocha), named after the family’s puggle who passed away in 2025.

The Bohagers sponsor many events in Mars Hill as well as elementary, middle and high school sports teams. After Hurricane Helene, they offered free coffee to everyone for a week. People still insisted on paying, so they took the money as donations, matched them, and raised more than $18,000 for Madison County residents. “We paid for and delivered doors, windows, flooring, food and even cash,” says Bohager. “What was left over was donated to the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County (CHC) in the name of Madison County residents. We feel this is what local businesses are all about—give and take based on strong relationships.”

Camden’s Coffee House is located at 40 North Main Street, Mars Hill. Learn more at CamdensCoffeeHouse.com.