This summer, Travis Seipel will embark on an “odyssey” almost two decades in the making.
Seipel caught the coffee bug after landing his first job at a coffee shop in 2005. He and his wife Susannah are no strangers to espresso and lattes, so the idea to start serving those lattes out of a shop of their own is a natural transition.
After years of searching for the right location, the couple is finally poised to make their coffee shop dream a reality.
Their shop, Odyssey Coffee, will likely open its doors for a soft opening on July 22, followed by a grand opening on Aug. 1, pending construction on the space.
Odyssey Coffee will be at 5247 W. 95th St.
- The coffee shop will occupy a space at the Trailwood Shopping Center, just off West 95th Street and Nall Avenue (where Prairie Village meets Overland Park).
- Beauty salon Diva Beautique previously used the space.
- Once it opens, Seipel said the shop will likely operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
Odyssey Coffee will serve coffee drinks with some twists
Seipel said the shop will serve a range of classic coffee drinks, from espresso to flavored lattes with all-natural syrups.
He plans to source coffee from West Coast-based Peet’s Coffee — serving what Seipel calls “old-school” traditional dark roast — as well as Arkansas-based Onyx Coffee Lab.
The shop itself is currently undergoing renovations. When it’s finished, Seipel said it will offer customers a “modern, cozy-type” place to get work done or catch up.
“We really want people to come and hang out,” he said. “Whether you’re going to be working there or if you just want to come and grab a cup of coffee with your neighbors.”
The owners are longtime coffee enthusiasts
Travis and Susannah Seipel have made a point of seeking out coffee since before they lived in Overland Park, trying coffee shops across the country.
Travis said they noticed a growing trend in “ultra-modern” industrial-type coffee shops, and with Odyssey Coffee, he wants to provide an approachable alternative.
“Sometimes you can just go grab a cup of coffee and you know, you’ll get your fix,” he said. “But what really makes it special is trying to make that connection with your neighbors or with your community. I think that adds a whole new element to coffee.”
Over the last couple of decades, the two of them have also noticed how much coffee has evolved and changed. That’s actually where the name of the coffee shop comes from, Seipel said — a nod to coffee being a journey, not a destination.
“Whether you’re having your millionth cup or your first cup, it’s always going to be something different,” he said. “We kind of wanted to lean into the journey aspect of it.”
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