Ask anyone who spends time downtown, and they’ll probably name one of Grace Hutchens’ businesses as a favorite. Grace Hutchens, the entrepreneur behind Apothecary Ale House, Blue Moose Coffeehouse, and Zeke’s Breakfast & Bakes, has been named the 2025 Small Business of the Year by the Morgantown Area Partnership.
Her businesses have become staples in the community. But for Grace, it all started with a small bar on Chestnut Street.
“Apothecary was the first. My mother and I bought it in 2012,” she said. “We created a community and a culture at that bar. I’ve seen marriages start, families being born, and friendships made. I even met my own husband there.”
Since then, Grace has built a tight-knit business ecosystem—one where the relationships, late-night conversations, and quiet mornings over coffee matter just as much as the menus.
When Grace took over the Blue Moose Coffeehouse in 2023, she took on the responsibility of preserving a Morgantown legacy. Having worked as a barista there, it was a full-circle moment for the Morgantown entrepreneur.
“Bringing the iconic Blue Moose back to its legacy is just absolutely critical,” she said.
Opening Zeke’s Breakfast & Bakes in March 2020—just as the world shut down—was no small feat. But Grace and her team stuck to their made-from-scratch philosophy, baking fresh bagels, biscuits, and pastries every morning. That commitment, along with her hands-on leadership, has become a signature part of her story.
“Grace is absolutely awesome to work with,” said Mark Downs, a business collaborator. “She’s super caring. She goes above and beyond to take care of people—her employees, her customers. She understands that her businesses wouldn’t succeed without them, and she invests in them.”
That deep sense of community also led Grace to co-found Hops on the Mon—now one of downtown Morgantown’s premier events and one of Main Street Morgantown’s biggest fundraisers. The event grew out of Grace’s love for craft beer, paired with her husband’s event experience and a desire to bring something fresh to the streets of Morgantown.
Grace credits much of her success to the support of her family, her staff, and the local organizations who’ve championed small businesses—especially the Morgantown Area Partnership and Main Street Morgantown.
“You can’t do anything on this scale without support,” she said. “They’ve been nothing but supportive of all of our businesses in the community, and especially with Hops on the Mon. They helped us get the pieces together to make it successful.”
Grace Hutchens doesn’t just run businesses—she builds culture. Her recognition as Small Business of the Year is a reflection of what happens when passion meets persistence, and when a neighborhood becomes a family.
