Coffee cluster percolating on one Troost block; will business support the buzz of six spaces to sip?

A new stretch of coffee shops in the 5500 block of Troost will test the caffeine tolerance of folks seeking a fix. Six options soon fill out the menu along this bustling corridor.

Blackhole Bakery, High Hopes Ice Cream and The Littlest Bake Shop currently offer coffee along with their core menu items.

But Blackhole is expanding with a coffee and bagel bar. Kaveh Coffee Co. is opening just to the north, and Polished Perk Coffee Co. is going in across the street. Start at Zero is expected offer coffee in its new play cafe near the southern end of the block.

“I don’t know of any other place in the city with such a heavy concentration of coffee shops within a stone’s throw of each other,” said Jason Provo, owner of Blackhole Bakery. “My hope is that they will all be good and we can organize some kind of coffee crawl.”

Rounding out the Troost coffee cluster:

Joey Purcell, Polished Perk Coffee Co.; photo by Joyce Smith

Polished Perk Coffee Co. plans a mid-to-late March opening at 5534 Troost Ave.

Owner Joey Purcell, a structural engineer, has had a couple of other businesses but he wanted to open a coffee shop since he was in high school in southern Missouri.

“I was from a very small town, but going to coffee shops made me feel like I was in a big city,” he said. “I love the environment, the smells, the different flavors and origins of coffee.”

He was considering a West Plaza spot but it didn’t work out. So he switched to the Troost corridor.

He plans to use a local roaster and chocolatier, and will have baked goods.

Haaris Rehman, Kaveh Coffee Co.; photo by Joyce Smith

Kaveh Coffee Co. took a building at 5529 Troost Ave. last fall.

Owner Haaris Rehman has a coffee roasting facility in the back and hopes to start wholesaling his line in early March. Then the cafe will open in the front part of the space in late March or early April.

Kaveh means coffee in Arabic, Rehman said, and he plans to have coffee drinks, tea, sandwiches, and two or three baked goods, including an elaichi bun.

“It’s like a cinnamon bun but with cardamom,” he said.

His father bought the building.

A new mural at Start At Zero; photo by Joyce Smith

Start at Zero is a nonprofit started by two moms in 2016 to promote healthy early childhood development. It had operated on the northern end of the block until July but has been holding structured playgroups at other locations as it readied its new spot at 5546 Troost.

When it opens in May, it will have a play cafe that will be accessible for all families, all income levels. It will be Montessori-inspired with experts helping to put together activities and structures to help cognitive, physical, social and emotional development.

It will have monthly memberships and one-day passes.

Start at Zero will offer coffee drinks and hot tea, as well as light breakfast and lunch options such as smoothies and sandwiches. It has not selected a local coffee wholesaler yet.

“For us, community is so important and providing that for the community so they can have that support,” said Amanda Vega-Mavec, executive director.

As for the other coffee shops on the block, she said, “People are like, ‘Are you worried?’ No, because we all provide something different. We want the kids, the other places might not want a bunch of 3-year-olds running around.” 

Affogato from High Hopes ice cream; photo by Joyce Smith

High Hopes ice cream, 5536 Troost, serves coffee drinks using beans from Blip Roasters: espresso, affogato, lattes (with ice cream) and cold brew.

“We don’t pretend to be a coffee shop. I don’t push it too much but I have it there just in case,” said Jamie Howard, co-owner with her fiancé, Jonathon Bush. “But people love the affogatos with their favorite ice cream, a shot of espresso and whipped cream, with a microplaned coffee bean as a garnish. Like a little sundae.”

Since the shop isn’t open in the mornings, she said customers often order coffee as a little pick-me-up in the evenings.

The future Blackhole Bakery location at 1702 W. 45th St. in West Plaza; photo by Joyce Smith

Blackhole Bakery, 5531 Troost, has been offering drip coffee and cold brew coffee usings Lenexa’s Maps Coffee & Chocolate beans since opening in 2020.

Jason Provo, Blackhole Bakery; courtesy photo

“We are kind of grab-and-go and adding a coffee bar with our limited space would just slow us down,” Provo said. “On a busy day we can go through a customer in about two minutes and they still feel like they are getting good service.”

But plans are in the works to address that issue.

Provo is taking a space to the south and will move the ordering counter to that area in late March. Then he will open a bagel and coffee bar in the current space.

“We’ll have a full espresso menu once complete,” Provo said. “We’ll lean on approachability, nostalgic/fun flavors and speed of service. We will not have seating so fancy latte art is probably out of the question. Loud music, fun staff and yummy stuff. Still keeping it simple.”

Customers will order, pay and pick up bakery and coffee orders on the south side for the current speedy service. Provo said many come in once a week and grab their eight favorites and go. 

They will pick up the more time-consuming coffee at the new coffee and bagel bar.

As for the new 55th and Troost coffee hub, Provo is trying to stay positive.

“Hopefully, the more the merrier,” he said. “But we are always going to be a bakery first.”

RELATED: Blackhole Bakery plans bodega-style expansion for second location: a West Plaza ‘blank canvas’

Iris Green, The Littlest Bake Shop; photo by Joyce Smith

The Littlest Bake Shop opened in May 2019 and relocated to 5511 Troost in late 2023. 

The 100-percent gluten-free, vegan and allergen-safe bakery serves black coffee, lattes, cold brew, espresso and Americano using its private label (it is a member of the Marcell Roasting Club).

“What we specifically serve is pretty niche. There is no one who is a competitor to us since we are serving such a specific need,” said Iris Green, owner, who welcomes the new coffee shops. “For us it is just the more foot traffic, the more people in the area, the more visibility for us.”

In another addition to the block, Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions, a long-time, award-winning event planning and catering firm, is relocating from Brookside to 5519 Troost in late March. It will have a private parking lot with 16 spaces to the south.  

Further north, Crows Coffee will open a production facility, warehouse and coffee shop complex at 33rd Street and Troost.

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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 follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.