Coffee business expands to unexpected Wichita address
A church lobby might not seem like the first place a coffee shop owner might look to expand his business.
But Jeremy Weldon said that his decision to open a location of his Cofellow Coffee Parlor in the lobby of a new Wichita church is already working out better than he thought it would.
And it’s not even open to the public yet.
Weldon opened his first coffee shop in Goddard in 2023 then expanded into Wichita last year with a small shop on the ground floor of The National (formerly the Commerce Bank Building) at 150 N. Main, which now is home to apartments and a co-working space.
Recently, Weldon said, a friend offered him the opportunity to open another Wichita location. That friend, Jon Morris, is the pastor of Vima Church, a nondenominational church that early this month moved from its temporary home at Coleman Environmental Magnet Middle School into the former Genesis Health Clubs space in Brittany Center, 2120 N. Woodlawn.
The 5-year-old congregation, which will celebrate the grand opening of its new space at its 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services on Sunday, is led by a staff full of coffee drinkers, Morris told Weldon. Rather than start a coffee shop themselves, the church wanted an outside entity to come in and run one.
“Our values, branding and style aligned super well,” Weldon said. “We are so honored that they asked us to be a part of their new location.”
The new Cofellow will officially open to the public on Tuesday. But its staff has been practicing on church members already — and business has been brisk, Weldon said. On Sunday, the shop served a long line of churchgoers, and there’s always some group meeting there whose members want a quick treat.
The shop is not open just to Vima Church members, though, Weldon said. Anyone can come in and get a beverage. The shop’s hours will be 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It’ll also open on Sundays when the church is having services. They usually last until about 1 p.m.
Weldon said he’s happy with the new setup. The big lobby allows for an extra-long counter, which also gives Weldon room to display bags of Cofellow coffee beans.
Weldon’s first Cofellow opened at 107 N. Main in downtown Goddard in May 2023. He wanted to expand into Wichita and was exploring other ideas last year when he was offered the space in The National, which previously had been run by Buffalo Brew.
Cofellow serves espresso drinks including lattes as well as cold brews, teas, lemonade and chocolate milk. It also carries cookies and muffins and has recently partnered with Tamu Samosa in Wichita to begin serving its Indian samosas.
Cofellow at Vima Church menu
This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM.
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