Reverie owner ‘miscalculated’ when taking over another business. Its last day is May 13.
Reverie Coffee Roasters expanded into the Newton area last year in a big way, taking over the popular and long-running Mojos Coffee Bar space on the campus of Bethel College in North Newton in January and then in February moving into a Newton drive-through space and turning it into Reverie Roasters Express.
One of the concepts worked out well and is still going strong. The other will have its last day in business on Saturday, May 13.
The business that didn’t succeed, Gough said, was Mojos, which had operated at 300 E. 27th St. North in North Newton since 2010. When he took over the business from longtime owner Patty Meier, Gough changed its name to Reverie Roasters at Mojos.
But it didn’t work out, and he recently announced to customers via Facebook that he was closing the shop.
“We thought that we understood what the community wanted,” Gough said. “We miscalculated.”
Gough did not, however, miscalculate on the drive-through business 220 E. 12th St. in Newton, which is doing well and will continue operating as normal, he said.
Gough said he now realizes he was naive when he thought that a high-end coffee shop would work on a small college campus and that it could compete with the cafeteria, especially with inflation affecting his costs.
“We want to be able to move out of the way and allow the school to find what it really wants,” he said. “We’re okay with admitting we failed in that location so we can let them do what’s right for the school and students and community.”
Gough said the university is already talking to new operators interested in taking over the spot. He’s been able to find jobs for some of the cafe’s employees at his other businesses — Reverie Coffee Roasters at 2202 E. Douglas in Wichita, Reverie Roasters Express in Newton, and Reverie Roasters Express at 7817 E. 37th St. North in Wichita.
Though he’s disappointed about how the Mojos project turned out, Gough said, he’s come up with a way to try and make the cafe’s final week more positive.
One of his young employees at the shop, Bethel sophomore Kalie Kosminski, is dealing with personal turmoil after the body of her mother, who had been missing for more than two and a half years, was recently discovered in Harvey County. Gough started a Go Fund Me page for Kalie, who is planning funeral services for her mother. The campaign so far has raised nearly $2,500.
Gough has also decided that 20% of all sales during Mojos’ final week will be donated directly to the Go Fund Me campaign. He’ll also accept cash donations.
All those who donate between now and the cafe’s closing day will be registered to win a gift package worth $250 filled with Reverie items and supplies.
Gough also said that anyone who had gift cards to Reverie Coffee Roasters at Mojos can use them at any other Reverie store.
