King City, MO –
The Rusty Coffee Pot is a shop featuring both hot and cold coffees, lattes, frappes, and expressos, along with smoothies. In addition the shop features antiques, repurposed furniture, jewelry, boutique clothing and t-shirts. Owners Steve and Dana Sansone are proud of what they have to offer. They say, “There are no other coffee shops around that offer shopping with something for everyone. Folks can come in and just browse. We have specialty coffee at affordable prices. You can come here and customize your favorite hot or cold coffee drink to your own tastes.”
Deciding to become entrepreneurs was a process. Steve says, “Dana and I have always personally critiqued vendors at flea markets and antique malls. We have collected items over the past 18 years and thought it would be cool to set up for flea markets. When the opportunity to purchase the storefront came available, we thought about it and decided to open up a coffee shop that also sold all the other items.”
Along the way they have met every challenge and formed a plan that they believe will reach success. “We had to learn business skills on the fly. We weren’t sure how much product to order. Our understanding grew: how to recognize antiques and the price and value of the other items sold in our shop.” Now they are trying to envision their business in the next 5 to 10 years. “We hope to have the second floor of our building open in less than five years to expand our items and perhaps have more vendors. Hopefully after five years we will have a great following of regulars and outsiders and continue our great service and relaxing atmosphere.”
The couple heard about the services of Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation, a free and confidential business coaching service, from Kelly Wilmes and Melissa Miller. They called upon Keli Morris, the NWMEF Facilitator for guidance. Steve says, “Keli Morris has helped and is still helping us think of business aspects we might not have thought of. She has also helped with organization and advertising so far. We cannot wait to continue to learn from her.” The Grand Opening for the Rusty Coffee Pot was September 18. Steve and Dana want to thank all who attended and all who have continued to patronize their venture. They say, “We have been just amazed at the outpouring of support from our King City community and those who have followed us on social media. I believe that the timing on the back side of the pandemic has helped as people WANT to get back out and socialize and mingle with each other. We are truly blessed.”
