Unique Bar Opens in Midtown

Harvey’s Coffee and Cocktails has launched with the help of STL Partnership’s EDA loan

Harvey’s Coffee and Cocktails, a new bar located in the City of St. Louis, was recently approved by the St. Louis Local Development Company (LDC), which is staffed by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership) and the St. Louis Local Development Company (SLDC). The loan was through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) revolving loan fund. The owner, Kaleb Harvey, will be using the loan to purchase equipment, inventory and working capital for the business to open its first location.

The coffee and cocktail bar is located at 2706 Olive Street in Midtown. It will offer a relaxed tropical-themed lounge space where customers can enjoy craft beverages. The bar encourages connection and touts itself as the perfect spot to catch up, hang up and hang out. The drink selection will be beach and coffee themed, with delicious options like espresso martinis, non-alcoholic drinks and tropical cocktails.

The journey to the opening of Harvey’s Coffee and Cocktails was a long one, with the inspiration coming to Kaleb when he discovered a niche between coffee drinkers and cocktail drinkers. He found the same commonality between baristas who had worked as bartenders and vice versa. Utilizing this niche, he decided to create a bar where connection was key.

“I tried to build something around this niche, because I think there is a potential spot where, when people come to gather, they tend to have a drink in their hand,” Harvey said. “This allows everybody – whether they enjoy alcohol, whether they don’t, whether they want tea, whether they want coffee, whatever it is – to come to this place and feel comfortable while having a beverage and enjoying it, but more importantly it’s enjoying it with their friends.”

 Connection is further encouraged through the lack of TVs, a large community board filled with weekly events and open seating. Wednesday nights have book clubs, Thursdays are networking nights and Sundays are all about card games, board games and language exchanges.

Connection isn’t the only thing that sets Harvey’s Coffee and Cocktails apart from similar businesses. Harvey, through his years of experience in the food and drinks industry, has also developed a unique approach to serving drinks. Rather than having the typical “bartender dance,” where bartenders constantly bump into each other as customers wait at the bar, Harvey took inspiration from coffee shops in his expediating procedures. Customers place an order at the bar, then walk down the line to where the drinks are served. This allows customers to watch the show of mixology behind the bar, while still receiving a speedy, consistently tasty drink at the end of the line.

When asked why he chose St. Louis for his first location, Harvey responded with two key reasons: financial feasibility and a large sense of community. The bars surrounding Harvey’s bar are not competition; they’re teammates, all working to turn a developing area into something unique and attractive. There are also many loans for small businesses available through groups like the STL Partnership.

“Our group works with companies of different sizes throughout St. Louis to find which financing option will help them with their needs,” said Darrell Scott, vice president of business finance at STL Partnership. “We are glad we could help make Kaleb’s dream of opening Harvey’s Coffee and Cocktails in Midtown become a reality.”

Drinks weren’t the only thing on the menu, as Harvey also shared some advice about his experience opening the bar. He agreed that the old adage of the first year being the hardest for small businesses was true with one condition – it is also the most fulfilling. His advice was to first and foremost trust in yourself and disregard the naysayers. Harvey also found that the three biggest hurdles to opening a small business were time, money and people. Having enough capital, planning what needs to get done and prioritizing project management are key to a successful launch.

“Do the research, do the time, create the plan, and trust yourself with the plan that you make,” said Harvey, “That’s the piece of advice that I’d give to anybody.”

To learn more about the EDA revolving loan fund through STL Partnership, email Darrell Scott at [email protected] or visit https://stlpartnership.com/business-finance/.