Mildred’s is coming to South Plaza.
The coffee shop and cafe has signed a lease at 5060 Main St., on the ground floor of the 51 Main apartment building. The space was most recently home to Mission Taco Joint.
“We like being in historic neighborhoods that are densely populated and support small, locally owned businesses,” said owner Evan Ashby. “The South Plaza and Brookside have that kind of culture, so we think we’ll fit in.”
It will be the third Mildred’s in Kansas City, following previous locations in Crossroads (1901 Wyandotte St.) and in downtown (908 Baltimore Ave.).
Ashby said they are aiming for a late fall opening.
“We’re going to do some light renovations to the space — lighting, colors, tiling, that sort of thing — but the general layout will stay the same,” Ashby said. “There’s a cool mezzanine upstairs that we want to use a little more intentionally, probably with more bar seating and outlets so customers can use it as a workspace.”
The coffee and breakfast and lunch menu will be the same as the other locations. Hours are yet to be determined.
“We will definitely be open our standard hours, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends,” Ashby said. “But we are considering staying open longer because we are so close to UMKC.”
Ashby’s mother, Debbie Luce Ashby, opened Java Garden Espresso Cafe in 1997 in the Ten Main Center downtown. In 1999, she purchased Mildred’s from original owners Kathleen Kraushaar and Brian Mossman, who had opened the coffee shop in downtown Overland Park in 1994. Java Garden was then renamed Mildred’s. The Mildred’s in Overland Park closed in 2006.
The Crossroads location opened in 2004 at 1821 Wyandotte St. and moved across the street to its current, much larger space in 2018. The following year, Mildred’s moved its downtown location a block away to the LaRue Building. Evan and his brother Clayton took over as owners in 2023.
