‘I never get tired of being there.’ Fun views, good food and energy fill this shop

Jeremy Springer has an enormous appetite for entrepreneurial visions. He also has the character traits to make them come true. Most recently, he and his wife, Jody, launched the Fillmore Cafe at Unity Village.

He’d had his feelers out for some time, looking for the right coffee shop space, even writing a pro forma, when a business contact mentioned the Unity Village spot with serendipitous timing.

Jeremy had been working offsite for the Lee’s Summit couple’s digital marketing business, Stone Amp Seo, setting up at various coffee spots in the area.

“I love drinking coffee. I love the change of scenery and different vibes of different places,” he said.

Jody works full time at Stone Amp Seo and helps out at the cafe on weekends, while Jeremy now treks between both businesses each day in a “hodge-podge” of mornings opening the shop and managing the budget, equipment, vendors and an employee, and afternoons focused on Stone Amp Seo.

Once the former Unity Village shop closed the doors on Halloween 2022, the Springers opened the next day.

“They blessed us with all of their supplies and maintained their Starbucks relationship until we could get on our feet,” Jeremy said. The couple spent three months on renovations and started learning the business top to bottom.

They chose a new coffee — Messenger — which is ground at The Roasterie in Kansas City. They chose the name because it sounded cool and classy and honored Unity founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore.

“I’m surprised at how fast I move,” Jeremy said. “When I make a decision, I just do it. Rinse and repeat. ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’

“I think it’s because I’m so excited. Once the ball gets rolling I don’t want to slow down.”

Other people might be surprised by the fact that he and Jody were planning their wedding at the same time they were gearing up for opening day. They’d been dating for nine years when they married in September. They honeymooned in October and launched the Fillmore Nov. 1.

“It’s been the same day ever since,” Jeremy said. Between managing both companies, there isn’t a lot of sleep, he said. They have about 30 minutes of free time between work and bedtime. But he’s not complaining. All of the time, energy and passion poured into the shop makes the place magical, he said.

They’ve given it “upscale ambiance,” restyling what was once a more utilitarian space. The Fillmore now features a gray and yellow palette, plush couches and chairs, impressionistic area rugs, bar-style seating and tables for two, with strips of gold trimming various fixtures. The lighting is low and the background jazz unobtrusive. Track lighting makes the paintings glow.

In addition to a multitude of coffee choices and deli-style sandwiches, The Fillmore also connects with local businesses to provide whimsical Pan Caliente pastries, Aunt Mildred’s No. 10 BBQ sauce and Ice Cream Factory treats from Eldon, Missouri.

A conference room that seats up to 14 can be rented for anything from meetings to baby showers and birthday parties. Proceeds from use of the space will go to One Good Meal in Lee’s Summit.

Outdoor tables provide clear views of the tranquil campus grounds, and sometimes even the Zumba or goat yoga classes taking place on the nearby lawn. Open mic nights with a 20-year history will continue, and art openings will be held monthly.

Their biggest challenge yet was serving a crowd of 200 attending a women’s retreat, and facing as many as 48 customers at a time.

Sleep was spare in the days around that event.

But they’re used to the pace, Jody said. They worked 60 to 80 hour weeks in their previous corporate jobs.

“It doesn’t feel unusual. We had projects going all the time.”

But there’s a huge difference in putting in those hours for themselves, she said.

“It keeps me out of trouble,” Jeremy said. But somehow there’s time left over for marinating other business ideas, like the six other coffee shops to be developed down the line (one for each grandchild).

And Jeremy always does what he says he’s going to do, according to friend and colleague Latisha Randolph, a Lee’s Summit resident.

“Jeremy is an amazing entrepreneur,” she said. “He cares about people. He’s very attentive and detailed.”

Randolph, an independent associate for LegalShield, belongs to some of the same networking groups as Jeremy, and they have attended local Chamber of Commerce events together.

“When I found out he was starting the coffee shop I was so excited for him. He made another dream come true,” she said.

The Fillmore is definitely her dream of a coffee shop. She says it’s a place to “disconnect from the chaos,” just as the Springers intend it to be.

She does just that while also charging her phone at a wireless station.

“Not only can I get some recharging, so can my phone. That just speaks to the detail Jeremy provides.”

So far, she’s referred 20 people, both friends and clients, to The Fillmore.

“It’s just great for all types of conversations,” Randolph said. “It’s really vibrant, it’s beautiful, it’s upbeat. I never get tired of being there.”

“He’s bringing his vision to life,” Jody said of her husband. People see what he’s done and it wows them. “The energy here feels amazing.”

It’s an energy that’s available to any campus visitor, Jody said. When two hikers who had just stepped off one of the nearby trails walked in one day but immediately turned around and walked out, she chased after them to ask what was wrong. They thought they looked too scruffy. They had to be told “This place is for everyone,” she said.