Tag: Kinship Cafe
When TJ Roberts posted on social media about closing Kinship Cafe, a Black-owned coffee shop in Kansas City’s Strawberry Hill neighborhood, he was surprised by the outpouring of support — a morale boost that not only gives him the spirit to keep fighting for the business, but expand it, he said. “When we posted about…
Read More >In April, TJ Roberts was at risk of losing his coffee shop to a parking lot. Now, Roberts is standing his ground, with the help of his community, to purchase the building that houses Kinship Cafe. “It was a very dark couple of weeks, but now there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Purchasing…
Read More >The evolution of a 107-year-old eastern Jackson County service organization is still brewing in Independence as BlendWell Community Cafe pours coffee and deeper connections through a celebration of diversity — and partnership with an entrepreneur across the state line who shares its mission, said Doug Cowan. “In 2015, we bought this building and we started…
Read More >Editor’s note: The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce is a non-financial partner of Startland News, which serves as the media partner for the Small Business Superstars program. An excited TJ Roberts took a quick break from shoveling snow Friday in the parking lot of his Kansas City, Kansas, coffee shop to post his elation…
Read More >

