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The Country Bean to offer coffee, treats and furniture

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Written by Brian McCauley

Wednesday, 17 December 2008 09:00

Kimberlee and Tim Kappel of Paola have decided to put the future of their family and careers into their own hands, and right now, they’ve got their hands full.

Following an inner passion for entrepreneurship, the young husband and wife soon plan to open The Country Bean, a coffee shop just north of Baptiste Drive in Paola’s Baptiste Commons commercial strip.

Planning for the shop has been quite a process for Tim, who also coaches gymnastics, and Kimberlee, who works as a substitute teacher and is expecting the couple’s first child in February.

But their work ethic doesn’t end there. Both also volunteer their time in the junior achievement program, which is a national organization that teaches students the basics of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy. They’ve spent the past couple years teaching the classes at Sunflower Elementary School but hope to spread to Paola Middle School in the spring.

For now, the Kappels are busy finalizing the details of their new store, which currently is under construction on the west end of Baptiste Commons near Applebees. Plumbing work has already been completed, but crews still need to pour some concrete, put a wall up and install heating and air equipment.

After that, the Kappels plan to do what they do best — take control. They’ll dive in and work on the floors and painting. As for the interior decorating, Tim has already begun to use his woodworking skills to build the shop’s own furniture. In doing so, he actually created a new business of his own.

“It’s called Country Bean Woodworking,” he said. “It started just as making the furniture for the store, but people kept asking if they could buy it.”

The new woodworking business is already a member of the Paola Chamber of Commerce and the Kappels want the coffee shop to be as well.

The Kappels plan to offer all varieties of espresso drinks, lattes, mochas and frozen drinks, as well as some non coffee-based drinks, including hot chocolate and a caramel apple bliss that Kimberlee described as “liquid apple pie.”

The Country Bean also will offer pastries, muffins, cookies and eventually some soups and sandwiches, the couple said. There also will be retail items for sale, such as candles and crafts, as well as much of the furniture in the store.

Tim got one of his gymnastic students with a knack for graphic design to create the idea for the company’s logo, which was finalized by a friend in the graphic design business.
The Kappels hope to open the business next month, and although hours have not been finalized, they plan to open around 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and close around 7 p.m. The shop may open later on weekends, and the hours may vary depending on the baby, Kimberlee said.

Since moving to Paola a couple years ago, the Kappels have fallen in love with the community while learning the ins and outs of running Kimberlee’s brother’s farm just outside of town. It’s the first time they’ve dealt with horses and longhorns, but just like everything else in their lives, they’ve jumped right in.

“We learned real quick how stubborn horses are,” Kimberlee said with a laugh.

Some of their family and friends have been hesitant to encourage the Kappels on all of their new business ventures, but they say they love the idea of having control of their jobs.

“With this economy, you have to get creative,” Kimberlee said.