The owners of Groundhouse Coffee in Gardner have announced they’re selling, and they hope the new owners will preserve it as a space for local community connections.

On Oct. 21, Keith Davenport announced that he and his wife, Allison Davenport, are putting the coffee shop on the market, listed at $425,000. The oldest of his four kids is getting ready to go to college in a couple of years, and Davenport said this has set him up for a transitional period in his life.

“It’s a lot like when you go to sell a house or you go to look for a new job,” Davenport said. “When you first get there it’s perfect for that season of life, but life changes.”

Davenport will accept offers until noon on Nov. 4. He said he has lost count of the number of inquiries he has gotten already, and expects offers to start coming in early next week. Anyone interested in making an offer can contact Davenport by email at [email protected] or text (317) 441-3338.

“I’m really proud of a lot of the community connections we’ve been able to make here,” Davenport said. “I’m really intent on finding the next owner to be someone who will carry on that community legacy.”

Located at 103 S. Elm St. in downtown Gardner, Groundhouse Coffee was first opened by Steve and Beth Hines in 2011. When they reached retirement, the Hineses worked out a deal to transfer ownership of the coffee shop to their good friends, the Davenports.

Davenport started as manager of Groundhouse Coffee’s second location, which closed last year after running as a drive-through only. Davenport said it lacked the community space that the original location had and wasn’t making as much money due to competition.

In July 2024, the Davenports became owners of Groundhouse Coffee—a coffee shop where Davenport recalls writing dozens of graduate school papers at, going on dates with his wife, and watching their children play. He said this is why they were interested in buying it.

“I didn’t know anything about coffee, but I loved Groundhouse,” Davenport said.

Davenport supported the community-focused agenda for Groundhouse during his ownership.
For the upcoming Kindness Day at Sunflower Elementary School, Groundhouse will provide pastry bags to the school, the kids will paint kind messages on the bags, and the bags will be returned to the coffee shop for them to be given out to pastry-purchasers. Groundhouse can also be rented out for private events.

“When you compete against national chains without something that really differentiates you, you only can compete on price and convenience, and the big guys win out on that all the time,” Davenport said.

Groundhouse barista and keyholder Christina Lang has been working there since March, but has been coming to the coffee shop since her family moved to Gardner when she was 3. Now, she knows the regular customers by name, and they know hers.

“It sounds silly to say, ‘This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,’ but honestly, I love working here and I love the people,” Lang said. “Groundhouse has been like a second home to me.”

Lang, who is currently pursuing a psychology degree through Johnson County Community College, expressed concern about a future owner wanting to start completely new. However, like Davenport, she feels that the community has just as much impact on what Groundhouse represents as the owner does.

“I’m always open to working with people and new changes they want, just as long as the core of what Groundhouse is stays the same,” Lang said.

Groundhouse Coffee will stay open during the transition. Davenport said that last time there was a change in ownership, most customers didn’t notice because nothing about how the coffee shop operates changed. He said he hopes for a similar experience this time, and for the coffee shop to continue being a third space for the community.

“I think it’s neat — just the amount of ownership residents have over Groundhouse,” Davenport said. “No matter who is the owner, it really feels like it’s the community’s coffee shop. The owner is just taking care of it.”