A downtown Kansas City coffee shop is for sale after closing this spring

A Kansas City coffee shop that used to serve the area surrounding City Hall is for sale after closing earlier this year, the owner and a broker handling the sale confirmed Thursday.

Waterbird Coffee Company, which roasted Repetition Coffee out of Lawrence and served baked goods from Scratch KC and Mr. D’s Donuts, closed in March but went up for sale this week. Business partners Jamakee Blackburn and Brian Denman opened the coffee shop in downtown KC in November 2022 at 1200 McGee St.

Blackburn said Denman, who was in charge of coffee operations, left the business earlier this year to pursue another opportunity. As of April, Denman was working on a new concept called Apparition Coffee, a metal music-inspired coffee shop in Waldo that’s opening this summer.

Once Denman was out, Blackburn said he closed the business, marking an end to Waterbird Coffee — unless someone buys it.

Overseeing the sale of Waterbird is 030 Holding Company. Keith Davenport, the founder and managing director of 030, listed the business on Facebook for $95,000.

Davenport said whoever buys the concept gets the lease for an “80% finished” cafe with equipment, the brand itself and access to Waterbird’s social media accounts. Located near T-Mobile Center and Kansas City’s Power & Light District, Davenport said the cafe could be a great opportunity for building operations around nearby events.

“This is a really unique opportunity for a different kind of coffee shop,” Davenport said.