Roughly three years ago, Marissa Ray was newly graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in business administration.
Splitting her time as a stay-at-home mom and a virtual assistant, Ray was looking for what was next. She found the answer in a 1960s coffee trailer, which came up for sale at the end of 2023.
That trailer, purchased by Ray and her brother, Dustin Hogue, went on to become Black Rose Coffee. The coffee trailer (named after Ray’s daughter, Riley Rose Ray) has since become a fixture at the Overland Park farmers market.
Over time, customers there have begun to ask the same question over and over: when would Black Rose plant permanent roots?
“I told my people that I’m not actively looking (for a brick-and-mortar shop), but also, if something comes to me, I’m not gonna say no,” Ray said.
Then something did. Black Rose has now taken over the daytime coffee side of Overland Park cocktail bar Entity Lounge in the CityPlace development near College Boulevard and U.S. Highway 69.
Black Rose opened there in August.
Black Rose opened at 11216 Switzer Road
- The coffee shop occupies a space on the ground level of CityPlace, just off College Boulevard and US-69.
- There, it operates near fitness studio HOTWORX and the Apex apartments at CityPlace.
- Black Rose is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
Black Rose serves locally roasted coffee
Black Rose’s menu offers a variety of specialty coffee drinks, made with beans roasted by local coffee roaster Hermetheus Coffee and housemade syrups.
Ray said customers come back again and again for the Black Rose latte (with black sesame rose and vanilla), as well as the Mexican mocha with spicy agave.
Black Rose is also known for its breakfast bites, including the “signature” breakfast sandwich made with custard egg, bacon, pepper jam and scallion aioli on a potato bun.
After Black Rose closes each day, the space becomes cocktail bar Entity Lounge.
Previously, Entity ran its own coffee shop during the day before transitioning to the cocktail bar in the evenings, but it paused the coffee side of its business.
But its espresso machine was still there, waiting for someone to put it (and the space) to use during the day. Ray got this news via a text from her sister-in-law, who was there grabbing drinks.
For Ray, it was the serendipitous opportunity she’d been waiting for.
“Opening a brick-and-mortar, I was nervous. You have to do a build-out. You have to get all the equipment,” she said. “I didn’t have to do that here. It’s [already] built out. There was an espresso machine … it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.”
Black Rose will retain its farmers market presence
Shoppers who look forward to grabbing lattes from Black Rose’s coffee cart as they peruse farmers market produce on the weekends need not worry.
Black Rose will continue to pop up at the Overland Park Farmers Market each weekend — where Ray’s husband, Dalton Ray, will hold down the fort.
After all, the farmers market is where Ray and her brother, Hogue, first introduced Black Rose to the community.
“We knew we really wanted to get our foot in the door there just because of how big of a market it is,” she recalled. “I don’t think either of us actually expected what that would do for us. I feel like it launched us (into) where we are today.”
Today, Ray said, Black Rose has its share of enthusiastic regulars, many of whom have been excited to learn that they can now grab their favorite lattes during the week, and even stay a while if they want to.
“It feels like we’re a part of the community,” she said. “It’s nice to talk to people and hear positive feedback about what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
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