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Martin City Coffee at 13115 Holmes Road is pictured in a Google Maps Street View image.
Martin City Coffee is closing after just four years in south Kansas City.
The freestanding location at 13115 Holmes Road opened in October 2018 and is scheduled to close Dec. 31. A taqueria could take its place.
In a statement, the owners of Martin City Coffee said they made the “difficult decision” to close for financial and personal reasons, including the stress of having multiple businesses.
“The cost of goods, food ingredients, services, and higher wages has increased exponentially,” said Penny Romero and Rick Ramsey. “The grief of closing has been weighing heavily on us. So many human connections made, the personal growth, the sacrifices made.”
The menu includes coffee drinks, grilled breakfast sandwiches, pastries, doughnuts, cashew mango energy bites, Cuban sandwiches, and rice and bean bowls.
The owners said the connections with customers and employees have been the best part of the experience.
“We have learned, and witnessed, that there are many kind and wonderful people all around us,” they said.
New retail center
Romero and Ramsey also are constructing a 14-unit retail strip mall, Martin City Crossing, on the lot across from Martin City Coffee. They plan to break ground on March 20 and open the center in spring 2024.
It could have such tenants as a sports bar and services.
Their other businesses include Affordable Plumbing & Sewer and Grandview Commercial Storage.
New coffee shop
Romero and Ramsey also owned Ramsey’s Burgers next door to Martin City Coffee but converted it to Penny’s Bakery in April.
Penny’s Bakery closed for retail in late September and will close its wholesale operation at the end of the year.
Then Phillip Stegner, manager of Martin City Coffee since the beginning, plans to open P.S. Coffee & Drive-Thru in the space. He hopes to open the drive-thru Jan. 1 and open the dining room in the spring.
“My hopes are to create a cozy, warm space and expand the menu and the brand,” Stegner said.
His two sisters, Esther Furler and Abigail Stegner, currently work at Martin City Coffee and will be in charge of production for P.S. Coffee & Drive-thru. His younger brother, Gabriel Stegner, will be cashier and barista.
New taqueria
Penny Ramsey said she sold the Martin City Coffee shop building to the owners of Dos de Oros Restaurant and Dos de Oros Taqueria nearby.
They hope to open a taqueria in the space in 2023, if they can find enough workers.
