Where is it

310 W 8th St, Kansas City, MO 64105

Why you should go

Enjoy the cozy, beautifully-designed space and award-winning coffee.

What to get

The Onyx Delight: A latte with cinnamon, honey, and vanilla


Even as one of the newest shops in KC, Vested Coffee is already brewing some of the best coffee in the city.

That’s because owners Susan and Nolan Dees have teamed up with Onyx, a nationally renowned coffee roaster from Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Since opening in March, Vested Coffee has quickly made a home in the Garment District, one of the few downtown neighborhoods without a coffee shop. Residents and workers along 8th Street finally have a cozy oasis to call their own, and the world-class coffee is just the beginning.

Vested Coffee is located in the space previously occupied by Scratch Bakery. They still serve pastries and baked good from Scratch, but that’s the only thing the businesses have in common.

The Dees completely redesigned the space to match the elegance and history of the Garment District. The style is, in Susan’s words, “a little industrial, a little antique, and a little mid-century modern,” with a pop of color from their bright blue, 150-year old Victorian-style couch. It had been sitting in the Dees’ basement for years before they refurbished it and made it the centerpiece of their sitting area.

“It’s the Instagrammable shot,” said Susan, and she’s not kidding. The blue couch has its own highlight reel on the Vested Coffee Instagram.


Vested also revamped the previous shop’s coffee program, courtesy of Onyx Coffee. The Dees are new to the coffee world, making Onyx’s hands-on approach to training a perfect fit.

“They wanted to teach us the Onyx Way,” said Susan. “If we are serving their coffee, they wanted to be sure it’s made correctly,” said Susan.

Susan and Nolan spent two intense days of training with the Onyx team in Fayetteville. Then Onyx came up to Kansas City to train the rest of their staff. It was invaluable training from one of the top coffee programs in the country.

But was the training enough? Vested received an early test during their two-week soft opening. During that time, Kansas City played host to the US National Coffee Championships. Thousands of coffee professionals and competitive baristas flooded KC, and many stopped in Vested Coffee.

“We had one woman come in who was competing in the championship, and she brought her coach,” said Susan. The duo ordered an espresso and a cortado. “They gave us two thumbs up.”

The Onyx Coffee team also stopped in to check on their newest account. They gave Vested their stamp of approval.

Later that weekend, two Onyx baristas would go on to place in the 5 top in the US National Barista Championships. Dylan Siemens, who led the training for Vested Coffee, came in 4th. Onyx Coffee owner Andrea Allen took 2nd in the nation.

The Dees’s may be new to coffee, but they are hospitality people at heart. As a Kindergarten and Sunday school teacher, Susan has spent years serving others. Nolan has a finance background but carries a hospitality streak of his own. It’s been a long-time dream of theirs to start a business serving others.

“We feel like hospitality is one of our gifts and passions,” said Susan.

Their dream for Vested Coffee is to become a special place for their customers and community.

“The people [on 8th street] desire a space where they can plug in and work, or bring a Youth Group or Bible study,” said Susan. “It’s a place to come and hang out and feel comfortable. It’s Cozy. We’re trying to build a sense of community here.”