Pothos Coffee is now brewing java and other hot beverages on a regular basis at 105 Market St. in Kimmswick.
The new coffee shop provided a preview of its offerings during several of the town’s annual events last year, including the Apple Butter Festival, Cookie Walk and Elf on a Shelf, before permanently opening on Jan. 10.
“We knew how big these events are, the Apple Butter in particular, and we had just gotten the property,” said owner Ericka Kennedy, 35, of Kimmswick. “Our goal was to at least be running for the Apple Butter to get our name out there. We also were eager to make coffee for people and see how they reacted to it. It was such a good outcome. It was really exciting for us to do, get the name out there and get people excited for it.”
Kennedy and her husband, Andrew, moved from Los Angeles to the St. Louis area in December 2022.
Kennedy, who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley area just east of Los Angeles, said Andrew grew up in Hillsboro.
“We are familiar with the area,” she said.
Kennedy also is familiar with what it takes to create a quality cup of coffee.
She said she worked as a barista, manager and shift supervisor at coffee shops for more than 10 years in Los Angeles.
“I got to learn a lot of specialty coffees. I enjoyed learning what goes into making a good cup of coffee or a good espresso. It is extremely busy in a Los Angeles coffee shop, and once my husband and I moved to Missouri, it felt like we could do this. I didn’t want to keep working at different coffee shops. It was like, ‘I can do this myself.’ It took us moving here for me to realize I could do this.”
At Pothos Coffee, customers may order coffee, tea or hot chocolate from either a service window at the front of the building or inside.
Kennedy said she plans to open a seating area inside the shop in early February when tables are expected to be delivered.
The shop serves coffee from Conductor Coffee, a coffee bean-roasting company based in De Soto, and its tea is from Hugo Tea in Kansas City.
Kennedy said she makes all the syrups herself.
Kennedy said she has been getting positive customer feedback.
“I think our hot chocolate was a big hit. It is not your typical marshmallows and whip cream,” she said. “It is a house-made, chocolate syrup, and I think people were surprised by it.
“For the coffee, we constantly have people ask who the coffee supplier is. We have gotten a lot of responses for that because it is primarily a single-origin, light or medium coffee.”
The shop currently has seven coffee options and four tea options, as well as hot chocolate.
She said she plans to add a small selection of pastry items in the future.
“I have a minimal approach that is quality,” Kennedy said. “I don’t want a large menu. I want it narrowed down to what I believe is good. That is the difference I am trying to go for.”
Kennedy said the shop is named after the Pothos tropical climbing plant, and she also sells plants at the shop, along with garden equipment, pots and some home goods, like candles and kitchen ware.
“The initial idea was coffee,” she said. “I thought about it and wanted something else to complement the coffee. My plan is to decorate the entire seating area with plants. It came to me one day to sell plants too. I can fill the space and make it nice and homey. It is just something to make it a more home feel. I think a lot of people like plants. If someone wants to buy some plants with their cup of coffee, great.”
Pothos Coffee is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Kennedy said she plans to rent out use of the shop for events.
“We want to do that as a way to contribute to the town by making the space available for bridal showers, baby showers or church events,” she said.
For more information, call 636-232-5947, email hello@pothoscoffeemo.com or go to the shop’s website, pothoscoffeemo.com.
