We wanted to Keep It Sweet and Simple. Fresh ingredients, rotating, seasonal, or different ingredients. We wanted to have standards available and twists to keep it interesting. We wanted to build a place where you know you’ll get something you like, but have a choice on the flavor. Approachable ingredients but maybe a little different than what you’re used to.
Who is KISS?
Husband and wife team Trae and Sarah Pearson bought the shop in June 2019. For the first year or so, Trae ran the shop 5-6 days a week and Sarah ran the shop 1-2 days a week with a full time job outside of KISS. Trae spent over a decade working in the food industry around Portland and Sarah with a decade in mostly coffee and pastry.
When Black Lives Matter protests started happening in June, our little coffee shop took off. The community was searching for ways to support Black Owned Businesses, which we are a proudly black owned, and women owned, business and often mentioned that in our social media. We received so much sustained support, Sarah took the leap to quit her full time job to work at the cafe full time.
We currently have 2 staff members in addition to Trae & Sarah. We have also grown out of our 149 square foot space into the retail space next door. We are in the first stage of utilizing this space, as it was not set up specifically for restaurant use, and hope to do more renovations in the near future.
The community is also KISS. Without your support, feedback, understanding, reviews, and even just your hellos we would not be where we are today. Thanks for welcoming us into our spot on Ainsworth.
