Mise en Place: Shawnee’s Station 3 Coffee Shop leans into the nature of the area

Courtney Nelson and Betsy Merckens of Station 3 Coffee Shop // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Courtney Nelson and Betsy Merckens have two years of proof that family can successfully work together. For them, running Station 3 Coffee Shop in Shawnee, it comes down to having clearly defined roles, waiting until the time was right for both families, and remaining focused on serving the neighborhood. 

Shawnee is the neighborhood, and the fire station-turned-coffee shop near the north edge of Shawnee Mission Park is a breath of fresh pastural air just 20 minutes from downtown Kansas City. Seating inside the coffee shop is limited, but covered and uncovered outdoor seating offer more space and views of a reclaimed train caboose and the horse stable next door. 

Furthering the nature-focused ethos, murals by Jeremy Collins adorn the exterior and interior walls, and Megh Knappenburger’s prints are featured in the dining area. The murals by Collins blend the natural landscapes of Kansas with his own outdoor hobby: rock climbing. 

On my February visit, quite a few people were enjoying the outdoor space, but as the weather warms, it will liven up even more with yard games and seasonal blooms. Nelson and Merckens are thinking ahead to the summer, prepping for the World Cup with flags to display outside, as well as creating limited-edition stickers, merch, and themed drinks. Staffing isn’t likely to change for that time period since they’re already used to having a line out the door on weekends.

Station 3 Coffee Shop // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Ahead of their two-year anniversary celebration on March 1, I sat down to chat with Nelson and Merckens to learn more about the family-owned and operated coffee shop serving up caffeine and calm just off Shawnee Mission Parkway. 

The Pitch: Tell us about yourselves.

Courtney Nelson: My husband and I run the horse stable across the street and live there, and we’ve been doing that for almost 30 years. In 2014, we bought this (Station 3) property as a buffer for the city’s road projects, and we wanted to control what happened right in front of our house. So we renovated this former fire station in 2017 and used it as a family hangout. My kids’ graduation parties were here, we watched Chiefs games here. But since my kids graduated from college, this building has just sat here. 

My husband and I had been going every morning to different coffee shops in the area and started to think about it for our space, and Betsy (my sister-in-law) said she was interested. So we were like, Okay, let’s go. We went with Betsy and her husband to a weekend barista and coffee business training in Seattle. 

Betsy Merckens: My background is in teaching, and most recently I worked for an organizing company here in town and was managing people in that role. I love a good local coffee shop, too, so when they came up with the idea, I was like, Yeah! It just sounded so fun. I was looking for something a little bit different to do at that time. We talked about it for a few years, but the timing needed to be right. It’s been great, and we found that it’s been a need, but maybe people didn’t know they needed it.

What elements did you start noticing at cafes that ended up shaping your own?

Courtney Nelson: The atmosphere, like being more than just a strip center place. I feel like our location lends itself to that, naturally, with the Streamway Park trail being right down the road. For years we thought, wouldn’t it be great to have some kind of destination along the trail? So that when you’re out riding your bike or walking, you can stop and have a drink or socialize, you know, a meeting place. 

Betsy Merckens: Something we were thinking about, too, is how we can be unique and how to highlight local products. We’re unique because we make our own syrups. Most other coffee shops are relying on the commercial brand syrups, and sure, there’s a gazillion flavors, but you can tell they’re the same everywhere. Ours are all natural, and there’s just not all the junk. A lot of people come in and want half-sweet before tasting ours because they’re used to those other syrups.

Consistency is also important. We’ve been in other shops where you love your drink one day, and the next day you don’t. So we try to really make sure that we’re being consistent with all of our pulls and drinks.

Nelson: And compostables! 

Merckens: Yes, the compostables. Because we’re small, we really don’t have the room to do all those dishes, and we don’t want all the waste, so we thought, let’s do all compostable cups and serveware. So we’re just at least trying to help a little bit that way.

Nelson: When we were looking at who to use for a roaster, we wanted quality, but we also wanted someone who was not already found everywhere else around here, at least within a 10-mile vicinity.

Merckens: We’re proud to serve Hammerhand Coffee, Mr. D’s Donuts on the weekends, baked goods from by Scratch KC in North Kansas City, and protein balls from by Lite Bites KC in Prairie Village. Our kombucha is by Daily Culture, gluten-free pastries by Robin’s Gluten Free Bakery (formerly called Emiy Kate’s), and our teas are by North Kansas City purveyor Hugo Tea Co.

Station 3 Coffee Shop // Photo by Sarah Sipple

Everyone has some sort of coffee preference or a hint of coffee snobbery. What is yours?

Merckens: If I’m going elsewhere, it’s really about how that milk is steamed. I’ll get a cappuccino and notice how it’s steamed or what specific type of oat milk is used. We use really nice oat milk that is very creamy. Once you see that oat milk can be incredible, you can tell when it’s either not steamed correctly or they’re using one that doesn’t steam very well. 

Nelson: Chai. There’s some really crappy chai out. Either really sweet or diluted with water. 

Tell us something that people who have never worked at a coffee shop might be surprised to learn.

Merckens: How much the quality of the [espresso] shot can change even within one day, depending on humidity, temperature, all kinds of things. When you come in in the morning, you really have to dial that shot in and make sure that the quality is where it should be, because just because it was great the day before, it doesn’t mean you’re going to come in the morning and it’s going to be the same. So it really takes some dialing in, looking at the weight, volume, output and the coarseness of the grind–all that goes to the science. 

We have a puck press, and it tamps the shot down mechanically. It helps keep the pulls consistent when our employees have different heights, different arm strength, it all makes a difference.

And lastly, just the importance of customer service! That’s huge. You know, really getting to know your customers by name and remembering who likes to drink what.

When it comes to customer service, what is something you see that reassures you that you’re doing things well?

Nelson: Social media. People that are posting how much they love it and the atmosphere. That’s positive feedback.

What is one of the most popular orders here?

Merckens: Iced vanilla or caramel latte, or whatever is on the seasonal board at the time. Cold brew is one that people really love here, too. We are very particular about how it’s made. We use the Kyoto machine, which puts out about 25 cups at a time. We couldn’t keep up, so we had to get a second. There’s a bigger way that we can brew it, but it’s going to change the flavor, and we don’t want to change what our customers already love.

All syrups are made in-house here. Who makes them, and how do you go about deciding which flavors to feature as the limited-time specials?

Nelson: I do! We’ll come up with ideas every six weeks or so, and then I will search recipes and make two or three different versions for each flavor. And then we’ll do a taste those and compare, tweak, and pick. We try to only use whole foods and natural ingredients. 

What has been your favorite syrup so far?

Nelson: French toast, gingerbread, oh, and marshmallow was amazing.

Merckens: Normally, I just stick with an oat milk latte, but I’d say the brown sugar shaken espresso. I’m not a cold drink person, but that would be it when I’m drinking something iced.

Station 3 Coffee Shop // Photo by Sarah Sipple

What really put you on my radar was your closure on January 30 in solidarity with the general strike against ICE operations in Minneapolis. Now that a few weeks have passed, would you have done anything differently? 

Nelson: No. You have to stand up when you can.

Merckens: I feel like we let everyone know in advance–we don’t want people driving out of their way just to be surprised that we’re closed. We received really good feedback, and those that weren’t positive also weren’t that horrible. They weren’t scathing. Our very first customer who saw our sign about the closure the day before turned around and left, so we were like, oh, okay, is this how it is going to be? We can handle it. But it wasn’t!

What does a dream day of eating and drinking in the Kansas City metro look like for you?

Nelson: Ibis pastries, lunch at French Market.

Merckens: Other than starting at Station 3… Slow Rise for the best donut, OP Farmers Market for fresh flowers and produce. While there, I would visit Black Rose Coffee, Velouté for pomme frites, and Fox and Bull for more pastries and sourdough. Then I would go to Earl’s Premier for lunch or snacks, followed by a cocktail at Vita’s Place, and dinner at The Town and Company.

Station 3 Coffee Shop is open daily from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 19115 Midland Dr, Shawnee, KS 66218.