Blip Makes a Come Back Following Relief Uncertainty
How Ian Davis led his small coffee business through the pandemic with support from AltCap
Blip Roasters is a funky meeting point at the intersection of coffee and motorcycles. Founded in 2014 by Kansas City native Ian Davis, Blip Roasters is one of the more popular coffee spots in town due, in large part, to the uniqueness of its brand and its cool West Bottoms café on Mulberry street.
The company’s steady growth has always been organic—never too reliant on advertising; rather more on word of mouth, social media, and a consistent approach to branding—and this successful approach allowed Ian to open a second Blip Roasters location in the old Wonder Bread building at 30th and Troost. Though just one year later, the global pandemic hit, and its economic repercussions disrupted Blip Roasters' growth.
“We heard from contacts in Portland about this pandemic well before it got to Kansas City, so we were able to speak with our staff and see what they wanted us to do. We got our laptops and started getting everyone set up for unemployment,” said Ian, adding that they couldn’t even pay rent anymore because of the loss in income due to the mandatory shutdowns and stay-at-home orders.
Ian made the tough decision to close both Blip Roasters locations—though not without paying it forward and helping a new Black-owned tea shop, Soulcentricitea, set up equipment and take over the lease of Blip Roasters’ Troost location—they got to work finding a new building, signing a two-year lease-to-own agreement at its current location not far away from its former West Bottoms home.
“I was terrified. We started the business really small; in many ways, it was just me. If Blip made money, great. If not, great. But we’ve got employees we’ve had for 12-plus years. We’ve got married folks with kids, many of whom we’ve known since they were born. So, my feelings about the business were secondary. When we made the choice to leave the other shops behind and lease our current space, we had no intention on reopening.”
Never having worked with AltCap prior to COVID, Ian learned about the KC Region Small Business Relief + Recovery Loan Fund through a business development officer who frequented the shop.
“I think the small business community is a
representation of Kansas City…”
“We initially used the Relief Fund to reopen. We had to figure out how to get the new café space set up for people to visit again.” But Blip wasn’t out of the woods yet. Ian ran into challenges working his bank, causing him to miss the first application deadline for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
“By the time we applied for the second round of PPP, we couldn’t get replies to our emails and there was a lot of confusion [at his bank].” With 24 hours left before the application deadline for the second round of PPP, AltCap saved the day.
“I reached out to the Director of Businesses Development and Advisory Services and was able to get help. We were able to receive first-draw PPP funding, and then the Restaurant Relief grant covered what we didn’t get from the second round of funds.”
Receiving relief funding from AltCap was everything to Ian and his team. They were able to buy coffee, packaging, move into their new space and, addressing his deepest worry, hire his staff back before their unemployment ran out.
Ian was able to pay back his PPP loan with funds he received from another Small Business Administration loan, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan. His ability to pay AltCap back, “freed up money for others who needed it.”
“I feel lucky that we were able to come out
of the pandemic the way we did…”
Coming upon a year in their new space, a 3,000 square-foot cafe with an outdoor patio, Blip Roasters is back to operating in full swing. Though, Ian said it still feels like he’s walking on eggshells. Small businesses still need support.
“I think the small business community is a representation of Kansas City, so the question is really what KC needs. We need better access to things. We need other groups to have access to things. We need more diversity in the workplace.”
What does the future hold for Blip? Ian said it’s tough to know.
“I feel lucky that we were able to come out of the pandemic the way we did. It feels scary to try and do too many things. We’re just going to keep expanding and growing our customer base and facilitate an environment that’s accessible and approachable.”