Wichita coffee shop that opened over the weekend already drawing crowds in College Hill
The new Wichita coffee shop that I told you back in May was planned for College Hill is finally open — and on Monday, it was filled with a big crowd enjoying the new space.
All appeared to be in a Coffee Daze, which is the name of Tiffany Tran’s new shop, which opened over the weekend at 3236 E. Douglas.
Tran, a Wichita native with years of restaurant and coffee shop experience, has transformed the 1,900 square-foot space at 3236 E. Douglas, which is a couple of doors west of Himali Eats and directly east of The Kitchen Place. Previously, it was home to an optometry office and an art gallery.
But now, the space has a polished concrete floor, lots of natural light streaming in through south-facing windows, and a hodgepodge collection of furnishings that includes a retro sofa, a big banquette and lots of smaller table-and-chair sets.
The menu is not posted online yet, but on Monday, visitors were sipping on seasonal specials like Autumn Leaves — a drink made with espresso, milk, pumpkin spice and caramel — and Grandpa Sweater, made with espresso and milk plus maple and lavender flavorings.
Coffee Daze is also offering food, including pastries from Bagatelle and things like avocado toast and panini sandwiches. The hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays; and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Tran, who graduated from Kapaun Mt. Carmel High School and also attended Newman University, has spent the last six years living in Dallas, where she has lots of family. During her time there, she said, she’s been honing her knowledge of the coffee business by working with her brother, who is a coffee roaster, and her cousin, who has a coffee shop in Ft. Worth. She’s been working in the restaurant industry since she was 18, she said, and she was part of the crew that in 2017 helped open PokeMix at 8918 W. 21st St. She also worked at Crafted at 9730 E. 21st St. North. Tran said she’s moving back to Wichita next month so that she can focus on Coffee Daze. Tran said her parents’ first home was in College Hill, and she felt drawn to the neighborhood when she decided to start her business.
Follow developments at the new shop at coffeedazeict.com, which has spots for both an online menu and for online ordering, neither of which had been activated by Monday.
