Spokes Café banks on new downtown coffee spot, cycling operations under same roof as neighboring customers 

A new home inside the Commerce Bank Building in downtown Kansas City moves Dan Walsh’s popular coffee shop across the street — and saves him the struggle of finding a different location amid Spokes Café’s pending displacement as a longtime fixture at 10th and Walnut streets.

Walsh recently announced the relocation — the artisanal breakfast and lunch hangout is expected to shift operations later this winter — describing the gift of “perfect timing” that led to his plans.

The co-owner and operator of Spokes Café had just learned the building at 929 Walnut St., which has housed one of his current café locations since 2017, was sold and the new owners were planning to convert it to residential condos.

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Dan Walsh, Spokes Café, and Kevin Barth, Commerce Bank, outside Commerce Bank in downtown Kansas City; photo by Mark McDonald

Around that same time, Walsh said, Kevin Barth, chairman and chief executive officer for Commerce Bank in Kansas City, visited the café and asked whether Spokes would be interested in making a move to the Commerce Bank Building at 10th and Main streets. 

“He said, ‘Every time I come in here, the place is filled with Commerce team members,” Walsh recalled. “He said, ‘I’d rather keep them happy under our roof. Why don’t you relocate to the Commerce building — and to top it off, with a name like Spokes, we’ll give you a bike rack out front.’” 

Construction already is under way at the bank; Spokes soon will close the Walnut Street location and reopen at 1007 Main Street, inside the arcade of the bank building.

True to Barth’s word, a bike rack will be installed near the café’s Main Street entrance to accommodate the cycling community, which Spokes has embraced since its inception, Walsh said. 

“I’m thrilled Spokes is relocating to our building,” said Barth. “We’re happy to accommodate a locally owned small business, and I think our team members will appreciate having such a convenient amenity for grabbing breakfast, lunch or to order catering. Having Spokes in this location not only supports our team members, but it also serves the more than 35,000 people living in our greater downtown Kansas City neighborhood as well as the more than 100,000 people who work here. It’s a win-win for everybody.” 

A large percentage of Spokes’ business comes from catering orders, and the business has thrived on its relationships with large area companies, Walsh said, adding that the new location —  positioned directly on the streetcar line — is an ideal spot. 

Spokes’ original location in downtown Kansas City’s Quality Hill neighborhood remains open. Its third location is in Kansas City, Kansas, inside the Health Education Building and serves the staff and students of the primary teaching facility for the University of Kansas Medical, Nursing and Health Professionals schools.

Spokes is open to the public weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and caters breakfast and lunch every day of the week. It specializes in fresh, fast and local fare, from hand-rolled breakfast burritos to freshly cut fruit, sandwich wraps, salads and house-baked cookies.

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