A new coffee shop is opening soon in Kansas City’s Northland
A group of Kansas City business partners are opening Provis Coffee for a few reasons.
Firstly, they see a need for third spaces in a world that’s spending increasingly more time at home. Coffee shops have, in a lot of ways, filled a need that community centers once did.
Owners Ronni and Kristen Kurtz, Josh and Meagan Brown, and Jesse and Laura Worcester hope they can help provide such a space.
Secondly, Ronni Kurtz sees the Northland as an area that could use a few more coffee shops. There aren’t as many options up there as there are south of the river.
But also, they just love coffee.
Jesse Worcester and Josh Brown work in finance and are affiliated with Kansas City-based chain Hawaiian Bros, as well as a few other ventures. Ronni Kurtz is Josh Brown’s uncle, though they’re just four years apart. More like brothers, Kurtz said.
“We just developed a love for coffee and kind of the subculture that comes along with coffee,” Kurtz said. “We kind of joked about how it would be a good retirement plan.”
But their coffee shop, once a pipe dream, will soon become a reality. Provis will open in North Kansas City’s Blume NKC development at 2914 Buchanan St.
They aim to open Provis in the summer.
Kurtz said the partners are all perfectionists, and that carries over to their cup quality. They aim to create a shop that’s so high-caliber they’re able to earn nods at national coffee competitions, like Brewers Cup.
“Kansas City used to compete in coffee competitions and hasn’t lately, and we’d like to get that back,” Kurtz said.
They hired a roaster from St. Louis, Randall Buchanan, who moved to the area a few weeks ago to help open Provis.
Buchanan has since been buying green coffee, roasting, and cupping — aka tasting and evaluating each cup for quality. The shop will serve pourovers, espresso drinks and more.
“We will have really high-end specialty coffee available,” Kurtz said. “We’re also gonna have really fun, normal milk-based drinks.”
The atmosphere of the shop is important to the business partners. Every chair will be close enough to an outlet so all customers can work and sip.
They’re being a little choosy on who they hire. Friendliness and taste will not be compromised, Kurtz said.
“We’re hiring baristas on purpose who have a lot of experience, who will do really fun experimental, seasonal drinks.”
Provis will have a soft literary theme. Kurtz is an avid reader, and the shop’s name was inspired by the main character in Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”
Coffee shops, and coffee itself, have tales of their own.
“We love the idea of how much story is behind the actual coffees, getting from farms to your cup,” Kurtz said. “We love the stories of our baristas. We love the stories of customers.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 10:47 AM.