After a caffeinated burst of early word-of-mouth support, Brian Roberts’ new coffee and wine space near Tower East got a months-long jolt of good karma, he said — but as its newness cooled on the counter, the fledgling business began to lose its grip on thirsty customers.
“It was really tough, getting people to realize we are the real deal,” said Roberts, reflecting on the first few months at Good Karma Coffee. “I didn’t think it was going to be this hard. I think people are just now waking up in Year One. They’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this spot is really legit.’”
Shifting momentum back into Good Karma’s favor meant establishing the business beyond Roberts’ own personal and professional network — itself developed through years of community and retail cultivation as the founder of The Black Pantry. (That well-known venture is no-longer a standalone retail operation, and now falls under Good Karma’s brand.)
His steep learning curve, combined with financial pressure, made the first year at 3134 Gillham Road an exercise in patience and persistence, Roberts said.
“When no money is walking through the door, I’m staying up late at night trying to figure it out,” he said. “You wake up at three o’clock in the morning sweating. I didn’t know what stress felt like until now.”
“You have your team looking at you like, ‘How long are we gonna be open?’” Roberts continued. “That’s a scary thing, because I’m responsible for people’s lives.”
Good Karma’s Feb. 1 one-year anniversary lands on a Sunday, with events planned throughout the weekend, including a Saturday night celebration Roberts calls “The Closeout,” followed by anniversary programming on Sunday.
To mark the milestone, the shop is also rolling out “The Best of Good Karma,” bringing back fan-favorite drinks from past seasonal menus.
“Throughout February, we’re going to offer all the coffees that people love that you can typically only get during a certain season,” said Roberts. “It’s like a greatest-hits album.”
Cocktails are also becoming a more prominent part of the experience. Good Karma recently partnered with J. Rieger & Co. on its espresso martini and serves House of Brown wines from Napa Valley, with every cocktail featuring a Black-owned spirit.
“I wanted people to be able to get a cocktail bar-quality drink without having to go to a cocktail bar,” Roberts said. “You don’t have to dress up to come in here, but you can still get a really good drink.”
People-first approach
From the beginning, Good Karma Coffee was designed to be a welcoming space centered on the community — not just another cafe, Roberts emphasized.
“Our focus is people,” he said. “And we do coffee well. We do cocktails well. We do events well. We do collaborations well.”
Over time, Roberts adjusted the shop’s programming, shifting higher-energy events into the evening and maintaining a calmer environment during daytime hours.
“People know they can come in, sit down, and have a conversation,” he said. “They know the music is mellow. They know they can find a seat.”
The people-first approach is also reflected in how staff are paid. Roberts intentionally built a compensation model that prioritizes hourly wages over tip dependence, he said.
“I don’t focus on tips to pay my baristas. That should be icing on the cake,” he explained. “I believe in paying them the best that I can so that they feel like they can have whatever they consider a living wage.”
The shop offsets that cost through a strong retail component, drawing on Roberts’ background with Black Pantry and his experience in product-driven businesses.
“The business model helps me pay my baristas more,” he said. “Now I can get the best baristas in the city.”
Staff retention, Roberts said, has been one of the most meaningful indicators of progress.
“We have 80 percent of our original staff,” he said. “For those who stuck with me, it means a lot.”
Surviving Year One
Unlike earlier Black Pantry projects that were tied to partnerships with Made in KC, Good Karma Coffee operates solely under Roberts’ leadership, placing full responsibility for operations, payroll and long-term sustainability on him.
Delays tied to inspections, permits and licensing compounded the pressure, slowing the rollout of some elements Roberts originally planned to have in place at opening, he said.
“What I envisioned is still not yet to fruition,” said Roberts. “So people seeing what we built so far, I’m like, ‘Just wait until I’m done.’”
He began to feel a shift in December, when new customers started discovering the shop independent of Roberts’ personal and professional circles.
“I think word of mouth is really starting to pick up steam again,” he said. “The first six months were really people who knew what the Black Pantry was about or they knew me personally coming in. Now there’s a whole new wave of people finding us.”
Year Two vision
As Good Karma Coffee moves into its second year, Roberts said, the focus is not rapid expansion, but refinement and consistency.
“Honestly, staying the same, but being better,” he said. “Expansion of seating is a major milestone.”
Longer term, Roberts wants Good Karma Coffee to remain a place where people develop personally and professionally.
“I want people to leave here because they found their goal in life,” he said. “I want you to grow out of here, but while you’re here, you’re gonna have fun. The expectation is high.”
This summer, Roberts is planning a new event called Good Karma Fest — set for June 19 in recognition of Juneteenth. The festival is intended as a community-forward gathering rather than a commercial event, he noted.
“It’s really like a give-back,” he said. “The goal is to have bands, DJs, live performances, farmers markets, night markets. It’s really about celebrating Karma and the community that built this.”
The festival is planned as an annual event, with a focus on local residents rather than visitors, even as Kansas City prepares for major global events in coming years.
“I’m focused on y’all day in and day out,” said Roberts. “The best thing for me to do is continue to create space for the locals.”
After a year defined by sacrifice and persistence, Roberts said the motivation behind Good Karma Coffee remains unchanged.
“Passion gets me through,” he said. “Knowing what the vision is and who I do it for has gotten me through.”
This story was originally published by Startland News, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.