Opening this fall: Latte Life coffee shop on Armour Road aims to employ adults with disabilities

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News reporter Lauren Schwentker covers stories in the Northland, including in Clay and Platte counties. Have a story idea? Send her an email.

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Latte Life is the newest project from Life Unlimited, a nonprofit that supports people of all developmental levels.

Amy Taylor, chief operating officer of Life Unlimited, said the coffee shop has been a long time coming.

"We've been dreaming about this for years," she said.

Taylor said the concept is rooted in both community and opportunity.

"This shop and concept behind this is really all about bringing community together and bringing competitive employment opportunities to our individuals with disabilities," Taylor said.

In the next couple of months, a group of adults will begin learning real-life skills at the North Kansas City shop.

"They're learning the job skills here that they can take out into their communities and have meaningful competitive employment out near their homes," Taylor said.

Emily Morgan, vice president of external relations at Life Unlimited, said the job market for adults with disabilities is tough. That's part of what drove the creation of Latte Life.

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"We wanted to create a path for them to be able to work," she said.

Morgan said the Armour Road shop also serves a broader purpose for the surrounding community.

"Our community — it's a way to educate them about the importance of employing adults with disabilities," Morgan said.

Fiona Kennedy, manager of Latte Life, said she is eager to help teach those skills to employees.

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"It's really great life skills, like using a cash register, stocking inventory, using a par list," Kennedy said.

All proceeds from the coffee shop will go toward Life Unlimited.

"Really anxious to get it going in the next few weeks," Taylor said.

Latte Life is expected to open this fall.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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