COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — A bright pink exterior makes KB Coffee and Bakery hard to miss along Academy Boulevard, but owner Kelly Bauman hopes customers remember more than just the building's eye-catching color.
This visit was part of News5's weekly "Convos and Coffee" segment, where Tony Keith and a meteorologist simply chat with community members over coffee about news stories they would like to see covered while answering weather questions.
At 24, Bauman is turning her longtime passion for baking and coffee into a small business built around local connections, creativity and a welcoming atmosphere. Bauman said she had been a regular customer at the location for about three years, visiting under its two previous coffee shop owners. When the previous owner, who was part of a military family, learned they would be relocating, she let Bauman know the business was available. Bauman said she immediately shifted her attention to the location, which was close to where she had been working and an area she had grown to love.
"I had been interested in another spot. Dropped that one immediately for this one because I love this area," Bauman explained.
The business grew out of a passion Bauman developed years earlier. She started baking as a teenager, eventually turning a hobby into a business by selling baked goods beyond friends and family and taking custom orders for birthday and wedding cakes. Coffee was a natural next step. Bauman said she had always wanted to open a coffee shop and gained experience working for corporate businesses. Those experiences helped shape her vision for what she wanted to offer customers.
"I saw a lot of things that I felt that we could do better," Bauman added. "And I do think that Colorado Springs loves local, and I really wanted to bring something like that here to Academy."
Bauman originally moved to Colorado Springs from Texas after taking a solo trip to the area. She said the mountains, scenery and change in climate quickly convinced her that Colorado was where she wanted to live. Now, she is building a business of her own while navigating the challenges that come with being a young entrepreneur. Her biggest advice to other small-business owners is to remain consistent, even when progress takes longer than expected.
"More often than not, it's gonna be a lot harder, take a lot longer than you expected it to," Bauman said. "Having the grit and the determination to stick with it and to make it work, that's the only reason that we are still around."
The business has its seasonal challenges, too. KB Coffee and Bakery operates primarily as a drive-thru and walk-up window, with no indoor seating. Bauman said snowy and especially cold weather can slow business as fewer people venture out. Delivery through DoorDash helps offset some of that slowdown, while warmer weather brings more customers through the drive-thru and to the walk-up window.
And then there's the pink.
Bauman said the bold color was a deliberate choice to make the business stand out while reflecting the fun, welcoming personality she wanted it to have.
"It's pretty much a symbol of cute and fun and girly, and that's pretty much what our business symbolizes," she said. "I wanted something unique and something where everyone felt included."
For Bauman, KB Coffee and Bakery represents more than a place to grab a cup of coffee or a baked treat. It's the result of years of hard work, a longtime passion and a determination to turn a vision into reality.
IF YOU ARE A LOCAL COFFEE SHOP OWNER AND WOULD LIKE TO HOST A CONVOS AND COFFEE SEGMENT, EMAIL TONY.KEITH@KOAA.COM.
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