New KC coffee shop serving New York-style bagels opens in former filling station
Savannah Vazquez said her mom opening a coffee shop was “not on the 2024 radar.”
But now it’s been open for a month and a half at 4001 Broadway Blvd., where Vazquez and her best friend spend a few days a week as baristas, pouring lattes, toasting bagels and shooting Instagram Reels.
“The thing that I’ve liked most is getting to know the people around here,” the 23-year-old said. “Just being a part of the community, I guess, and just seeing the different people who come in here.”
Mom Tamara Grubb’s shop, Triple Crown Coffee, is in a former filling station, as evidenced by the building’s garage-like windows. Colorful stickers line each glass pane. Inside, Christmas trees, garlands and wreaths beautify the space.
A back patio will seat customers when the weather improves.
The building was once the original Ruby Jean’s Juicery location. Ruby Jean’s now has locations at 3000 Troost Ave. and 301 E. 51st St.
Triple Crown’s origin story goes like this: Earlier this year, Grubb was looking for an office space for her nonprofit consulting business. But after seeing the quaint building, she had a different idea.
“I walked into the space, and literally, the first words out of my mouth were, ‘This is a coffee shop,’” she said.
Grubb had never opened a coffee shop before. Nevertheless, she began working on the menu and transforming the space into what it is now, with design help from her daughter.
The name, Triple Crown, is meant to symbolize “excellence,” Grubb said. Three is also a number used in the Bible to indicate wholeness, she added.
The coffee shop sells espresso drinks and drip coffee made from Messenger Coffee beans. It offers bagels from NYC-based company New Yorker Bagels, as well as pastries from Three Bears Bakery and Sonflower Bakery.
Grubb also enjoys the community she’s built with the coffee shop, between customers and other business owners alike.
“We have the opportunity to be a light on the block and to welcome people in,” she said. “There’s just that camaraderie on the block.”
In the future, Grubb said she’d like to host pop-ups with other small businesses. The space is also able to be booked for events.
It’s been a lot of work, especially with her still working her consulting job. But Grubb said she’s more thankful than anything else.
“I’m constantly reminding myself that I’m in the middle of answered prayers,” she said.
Triple Crown is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 11:57 AM.