New Westport coffee shop hopes to crown a fresh local favorite in the spot that launched Ruby Jean’s

Move over, office coffee pot; Tamara Grubb’s workspace brews its own premium drinks

Tamara Grubb was just looking for a nice office space when she walked into a Westport building — a long-ago gas station with a distinctive double-A frame roof that once launched the popular Ruby Jean’s Juicery brand.

Her first thought: This space wasn’t meant to be an office.

A line of fresh drinks at Triple Crown Coffee + Eats + Events; courtesy photo

It was destined to become a coffee shop — a vision she brought to reality in October when she opened Triple Crown Coffee + Eats + Events in the building at 4001 Broadway Blvd.

The shop offers espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, matcha, cold brew, tea, Americano, cocoa, milkshakes, smoothies, and other drinks.

“I’ve bought a lot of coffee in my life and I like the vibe of coffee shops so this is a really cool experience,” said Grubb, noting she runs her nonprofit consulting company on a laptop at one of the back tables.

She also likes being around other locally owned businesses in Westport.

“They’ve been so welcoming,” Grubb said.

Triple Crown Coffee + Eats + Events at 4001 Broadway Blvd. in Westport; photo by Joyce Smith

The Triple Crown name fit with Chiefs Kingdom, the Kansas City Royals, the Biblical number for wholeness (three), and as a sign of excellence, she explained.

A smoothie from Triple Crown Coffee + Eats + Events; courtesy photo

Grubb’s food menu includes sandwiches made from New York bagels ($10 with chips and a 20-ounce tea or lemonade), along with sausage and gravy roll-ups (sausage and gravy rolled up in pastry), and other breakfast items.

It features cookies, cake pops, Greek yogurt parfaits, fruit cups and more, as well as gluten-free pastries and snacks. Grubb uses different local bakeries, but makes the cinnamon rolls in-house.

Her daughter, Savannah Vazquez, is often behind the counter and handles social media for the cafe. 

Each window pane on the front of the building — more than 50 — reflects such inspirational sayings as “You Matter,” “Be awesome today” and “Life is Brewtiful.” Grubb hopes one or more might lift someone’s day, she said.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; closed Sundays.

The building has housed a variety of businesses: the first incarnation of Ruby Jean’s, a service station, campaign headquarters, gallery, used car lot, a shop selling goods from Santa Fe, New Mexico, and yes, even offices.

Grubb plans to put tables and chairs on the front patio this spring. The spot also has a walled-in patio with an abstract yellow and lavender mural in back.

Her consulting business, Living Bold, helps other nonprofits with strategic planning and fundraising services.

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Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follower on X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.