New Grounds

STORY BY DYLAN COLEMAN »
Eudora didn’t have a coffeehouse.
That was until Kathy Weld came to

Eudora, and realized what was missing.
Weld moved to Eudora after her

and her husband got married, and the
idea to change the coffee-less Eudora
sparked her mind.
“I’ve fallen in love with our little
town,” Weld said. “The one problem
I’ve had with Eudora since I moved
here was that we did not have a coffee
shop, and I got tired of complaining
about there not being a coffee shop…
so Zeb’s was born.”
The idea behind the unique name
came from her dog, Zeb, who also is
the reason behind their three-point
system.
”Zeb is my dog. He has inspired our
three-point vision which is to: expect
great quality, know no stranger, and
to meet the needs for our community.
He exemplifies all of those things.”

Zeb’s Coffeehouse opened Decem-
ber 31st, which made Weld anxious

but exhilarated.

“I was nervous, but excited to final-
ly get here. The renovations took longer

than we expected, so I was ready to
get past that stage, and actually get
open.” Weld said.
Weld always knew the demand was

there, but was still nervous that open-
ing day.

“I talked to a lot of people and there
seemed like their was a big demand
here in town, and there seemed to be

a lot of buzz around the shop, even be-
fore we opened,” Weld explains. “There

was still that worry of … okay are
people are actually going to come?’”.
All of Zeb’s Coffeehouse employes
are newly-trained baristas, but they
were ready to take on a real business
day.
“…this was the first time they have
worked in a coffee shop before. So we
were starting from scratch here, so we
have done training, but it’s different
when you have real people ordering
stuff.”

One of those baristas is a student
at Eudora High School – , Junior Chloe
Hernandez.
Hernandez appreciates the hype of
a new business in Eudora.
“Working in a new business is
great. I started training a couple
weeks before the shop opened and it
was really cool to see all the hard work
that was going into getting it ready for
the opening.”
Since a high-school student is
working there, it has to be teenage
friendly, right?
That’s exactly how it is. Weld wants
Zeb’s Coffeehouse to be a welcoming,
open environment for students and
everyone else in the community.
“We want to be a place where high
school kids come and do homework,”
Weld said. “We want to be a place
where everyone can come in and feel
welcome and loved, and that this is a
place you belong. We want you to be
known fully here.”
Hernandez has gotten questions
from other EHS students asking if
Zeb’s would a place they might enjoy..
“A bunch of students have asked
me about the coffee shop wondering
if it’s worth a visit,” Hernandez said.

“It definitely is! It’s a perfect place to
study, talk with friends, and just get a
good cup of coffee…”
Weld wants students to know that
this is a place for anyone, especially
students.
“I just want students to know that
this is a place to be welcomed, to
come hangout, or study.” Weld said.