Overland Park yoga studio expands with coffee lounge

As a 17-year-old, Sarah Goodman started working in the mail room at American Century Investments, meticulously socking away part of her salary and never cashing out her savings through different jobs and personal hardships.

In 2014, after five years as a stay-at-home mom, she told her husband — Tom Goodman, owner of Goodman Guttering in Lenexa — that she was ready to tap into that nest egg. In August, the certified yoga instructor opened a faith-based yoga and fitness studio called Pose Yoga Studio on the east side of Metcalf 103 shopping center, at 6840 W. 105th St. in Overland Park.

Goodman, 33, offers classes throughout the day — sunrise yoga, lunchtime yoga and candlelight yoga. There are family classes, children’s classes, men’s classes and women’s classes. Other classes will be added soon, including LaBlast, partner-free dance fitness program.

In January, she added Repartee Coffee Lounge next door to the studio. The shop serves coffee drinks, espresso, chai lattes, hot chocolate and brewed coffee using Overland Park’s Revocup Coffee Roasters, along with tea, muffins and cookies. It also offers free Wi-Fi.

The facility can be rented for private events. The yoga/fitness studio holds up to 100 people, the coffee shop around 50 people and a private room in back can seat 8 to 10.

“I put my entire life savings into this and that’s not even enough. I was a little naive probably,” she said. “But my mission is to create a place that is more relaxed, where you can find your own inner peace, whether you want to work on your computer or meditate on a mat in the studio during open meditation time.”

Louie’s Wine Dive for Overland Park

When trendy restaurants pick a former gas station to open in, they typically pick vintage buildings that stopped selling gas long ago.

But when Louie’s Wine Dive decided to open a suburban outlet, it selected a former gas station building (circa 1990) that recently closed in the La Paloma Plaza at 6701 W. 119th St. in Overland Park.

“We wanted a location that wasn’t so cookie-cutter. Something unique,” said Whitney VinZant, president of the Kansas City-based Louie’s.

It will be called Louie’s Wine Dive & Kitchen 119 to emphasis Louie’s scratch-kitchen where even the pasta is made in-house. The new restaurant will have some new signature dishes, along with its popular lobster poutine, four pork gnocchi, shrimp Diablo and pan-seared barramundi.

“It drives us nuts when people drive by because they don’t think we have any food,” VinZant said. “We put a lot of passion into our food. It is really western European done in a non-traditional, creative way.”

Louie’s has a full-bar with about 100 wines, along with specialty cocktails and local craft beers.

The partners in the new Overland Park restaurant will be VinZant and Corey Gonzalez, who also is director of operations. Aaron Shields, an equity partner in the Waldo location, also will be an equity partner in the new Overland Park restaurant and oversee operations at both. It will have about 45 employees including a managing partner and executive chef.

They will spend the next few months renovating the spot for a scheduled May opening.

Louie’s first opened in Iowa in spring 2012 and added a Waldo restaurant in October 2012. It also has locations in Omaha, Minneapolis and Waukee, Iowa.

La Paloma also is home to Johnny’s Tavern and Best Regards Bakery & Cafe. Frida’s Taqueria is relocating to the center.

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Overland Park yoga studio expands with coffee lounge."