In January my work travels sent me on my first ever trip to Kansas City, MO.
I know what you are thinking, what the heck is in Kansas City, MO? That was my thought exactly.
As it turns out, there is one neighborhood in Kansas City that is actually pretty awesome and it's called River Market.
We were only in town for two days and the morning after we arrived we needed a space to regroup other than our hotel lobby. Personally, I never use Yelp (that's a whole other conversation) but one of my coworkers found a great looking coffee place with stellar reviews so we headed there to prep for our meeting.
The coffee shop was called Quay Coffee and before we even put a foot inside the door I knew I was going to like it.
Quay's space has exposed brick (my favorite) and a very industrial feel to the furniture and the lighting.
The menu is a simple chalkboard where each item is listed individually like: muffin, scone or cookie.
Next to the cash register hangs a t-shirt that is a riff on the "I Heart NY" shirt, which has a latte design in place of the heart. So cute.
The walls are all decorated with interesting art pieces.
This cozy corner in the back is very strategically arranged and includes a sketch of Frankenstein in a basketball jersey.
Each piece is hanging from a mini clip board. Very clever presentation.
In the center of the room is what used to be a bank safe. The team now uses it as a gift shop. I asked one of the guys behind the counter if this space was ever a functioning bank and he said it wasn't, but it was a distillery. Very cool!
From our seats I noticed the exposed factory-like ceilings. I really love the converted warehouse feeling.
Every seat in the house gets great views from the picture windows up front.
I ordered a cafe mocha which came with the most perfect latte design.
Their rendition was very tasty and warmed me right up.
Everyone else in Quay Coffee that day was also working. It's clearly a hang out for independent contractors, freelancers and entrepreneurs. And occasionally ad agency people from Boston.
If you ever find yourself in Kansas City (I realize that's a big 'if') definitely stop by Quay Coffee to refuel. The baristas are incredibly nice, they make great coffee and the atmosphere will make you want to start your own company.
