Any one who knows me well knows I spent a good junk of my teenage years at The Grape Coffee House and Bar. I have been going through all my old pictures I took at The Grape (which can be seen at the previous link) and I was wondering if I could find a copy of a new article that I was [mis]-quoted in regarding The Grape. I found a text only version of that article in the Kansas City Star's archives. There seemed to be a few scanning errors of the original text as midway through it starts talking about gardening. I have removed those parts and pieced back together the best way that makes since. Some of my fellow Grape rats are also mentioned in photo captions, sans photos in this article. I hope everyone enjoys this and that the KC Star does not object to me reposting this.
The Kansas City Star
1999-07-07
Section: METROPOLITAN
Edition: JOHNSON COUNTY
Page: B1Coffee house home to teens The Grape's youth, brew draw praise from its regulars
For many teen-agers who think they suffer a woeful fate by being from Johnson County, a sliver of salvation sits in the middle of an Overland Park strip shopping center, flanked by a Hy-Vee and a Tanner's Bar & Grill. While their urban peers flock to Westport coffee houses, some Johnson County youths have carved out a place for their suburban version of a kaffeeklatsch - the Grape Coffee House and Bar.
``It's an oasis in a sea of absurdity,'' said Joe Sandor, 19, a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School. ``It's a haven for those who feel they don't mesh with Johnson County. ... You really get to meet people (here) who don't fit the norm or the standard.''
Johnson County has plenty of teen hangouts, including other coffee houses. But Grape fans say no other place has that special blend of hipness, youth and coffee beans.
The Grape, 10126 W. 119th St., provides the stage for hundreds of Johnson County teens and young adults to act out their daily dramas - from political debates to gossip to discussions about where to go next.
Inside the gray stucco walls of the coffee house, young coffee drinkers wearing athletic shoes or tie-dyed T-shirts clash with the Grape's antique touches, such as vintage tea sets and Victorian-era cabinets.
``I've never thought about the location,'' said Kate Oland, 18, a St. Thomas Aquinas High School graduate. ``I'm just so used to walking down to Hy-Vee to get something to eat.''
Sandor travels to the Grape from Lawrence, where he will attend the University of Kansas in the fall.
``Over the years we've accumulated so many people,'' Sandor said.
``One of the regulars might know 90 percent of the people here. It started to become a family.''
Oland goes to the Grape because all her friends are there, she said.
``We'll say, 'I'll see you there,' and you don't even have to say we're going to the Grape,'' Oland said. ``There's such a wide range of people here.''
On most nights, the small coffee shop is packed with teens, unmindful of the line of SUVs headed for the grocery. They usually slurp down Grape specials - frozen mocha drinks with whipped cream - as they talk with friends and inhale cigarettes.
The Grape sells alcohol and tobacco, including many types of cigars, and [missing text from faulty scan] ... But there's no discrimination among cliques. No matter who you are, you come here to talk.''
Roman Goykhman, 20, and Jonya Sablin, 21, have been going to the coffee house since they were exchange students at Shawnee Mission West High School. ``It's a good place to hang,'' said Sablin, who is from Ukraine. ``And we meet people before we go places.''
Bradley Robertson, 19, a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School, feels secure at the Grape, he said. ``It's always going to be the Grape,'' Robertson said. ``There are people here I can relate to, and this is where I've gotten accustomed to. I won't stop coming.''
Many teens, including (clockwise, from left) Matt Yeager, Kim Sleszynski, Joe Oland and (background) Kelly Witcher, use the Grape Coffee House and Bar as a place to meet people or hang out.
Desiree Hannen (left) and Molly Kitchen are among the teens who hang out at the Grape Coffee House and Bar in Overland Park.
To reach Mhari Doyle, call (816) 234-7729 or send e-mail to doylem@kcstar.com
I still talk to many of the people in this article via Facebook. If you were metioned I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past. I still remember that particular summer very well. While I may not have realized it at the time, those were some of best days of my life.