06/09/2026
7 YEARS TODAY!!!
So many changes in the last 7 years. SO MANY CHANGES COMING!
June 9 2019- We opened KISS Coffee in Concordia in the 159 sq feet behind the red door. This was back when Concordia college was open, and pre Covid!
2020- COVID hit and we pivoted to a table outside of our shop. Neighbors stated finding us, working from home, pushing strollers, walking new puppies. We moved to baking our own pastries. Then in June, Black Lives Matter protests started, and as a Black owned business we blew up on social media. Sarah ended up quitting her full time job to be at the shop full time with the hopes we could sustain that choice. 2020 is also when the deck was built through Outdoor Dining permits, back when those permits were free! We now pay a good amount a year for this seating 😅 But who doesn’t love the deck sunshine on a nice day. Worth it.
August 11 2021 - We signed the lease and got the keys to the space behind the green door at Ainsworth , which became our kitchen space and indoor seating. We expanded our menu.
June 2023 - We learn we will have the coffee space at the U of O campus that is moving into the former Concordia campus. We move in and open January 2024.
CHAGES! - June 12, 2026 - CHANGES! - we will be closing KISS on Campus. It’s been a good challenge and we’ve learned a lot, but we realize we want to refocus on a few projects that had been put aside as we tried to expand, and to do so, we will need to minimize to maximize.
Along the way we have had, and still do have, some really wonderful team members. And Trae and I as owners have learned so many things along the way. We always say you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it.
So, now you know it. Here we are, and here we go!!
