“#rivertonbiz, shares the stories of local movers and shakers of our Fremont County economy.“
Written by Carl Cote
(Riverton, WY) – A new business more than four years in the making opened its doors on Main Street in Riverton this weekend, bringing a new combination of offerings, making it one of a kind in Fremont County.
Honey Fly sits on the north side of Main Street, in the first block off Federal, inside a building with a history dating back to the 1930s. The structure originally housed a Packard dealership before becoming a bar with a drive-through that went through the warehouse, then later a storage warehouse. The original wooden roof trusses, believed to date to around 1939, were buried under a drop ceiling when Jon Cox Jr. and his family purchased the building. Uncovering them took years of work, hauling out insulation and debris container by container.
Visitors converse and peruse the new shop Honey Fly on Main Street in Riverton at its grand opening. The business features a full fly fishing shop, local decorative home goods, and a coffee shop to go along with a liquor license. The business also boasts a brand new meadery featuring local honey and ingredients. h/t Carl Cote An antique canoe sits on the wall in the upstairs lounge area at Honey Fly Saturday. h/t Carl Cote Raffle tickets sit on a table amongst home goods for sale in Honey Fly’s store during the grand opening Saturday. h/t Carl Cote
Cox and his wife, Lindsey, own and operate the business alongside his parents, Jon Cox Sr. and Tammy Cox. Jon Sr. is a musician and artist whose influence is evident throughout the place. Tammy handled much of the decorating, including sourcing home goods that now stock the shelves alongside products from local vendors.
The fly shop carries premier gear and will have guides on hand daily to help customers book trips or get advice on local conditions. “I want it to be a premier fly shop,” Cox said. “We have the water. We have some really special country out there.”
Honey Fly will also operate what is believed to be the only meadery in central Wyoming, a project that began when Cox walked into a small mead operation in Homer, Alaska, and called a local honey supplier friend from the road that night. “It’s honey, water and yeast,” he said. “Eight weeks. And what you can do with it is endless.” The meadery passed its state inspection the day before the grand opening.
Lawson Yates and Anika Stanley worked in the coffee shop during the grand opening Saturday in Riverton. h/t Carl Cote A baby pack goat gets some love from visitors during the grand opening at Honey Fly Saturday. Owner Jon Cox is raising the goats as part of his guiding business where he takes fishermen into the mountains with the helpof a squad of pack-goats, each able to carry up to 50lbs. h/t Carl Cote Home decor is for sale inside of Honey Fly Saturday during its grand opening. Owner and Manager Lindsey Cox carefully slected inventory over the past few years as their team built out their Main Street location. h/t Carl Cote Guests funneled in through the outdoor patio at JHoney Fly for its grand opening Saturday morning in Riverton. h/t Carl Cote
Inside, a cafe will serve local coffee, dirty sodas, pastries, and small bites alongside beer, wine, and mead. Live music will be a regular feature, backed by a sound system wired throughout the building and onto an outdoor patio that opens through a garage door off the main space. The newly-remodeled upstairs loft area is an event space for rent for receptions, graduations, or meetings.
Cox said the experience of visiting will shift constantly. “Every time you come in, it’s gonna change,” he said. “The feeling’s gonna stay the same, but it’s not gonna be the same cookie-cutter stuff. Everything’s gonna change from the adventures we’re on to the mead to the art to the inventory.” Lindsey Cox said the spark for the concept grew out of a simple frustration. “When we travel, we’re always like, man, I wish we had this at home,” she said. “So when we decided to do this, it’s like, let’s make it at home.”
Honey Fly is located at 708 East Main Street on the north side of the street in the first block off Federal.