Owner didn’t want her first bakery and coffee shop, but now she’s planning another one
As MOXI Junction owner Joanna Kilgore prepares to open a new crepe restaurant this spring across from her existing Maize business, she’s also working on plans for a second MOXI, this time in Kechi at a new art park the city is starting.
Kilgore said she’s had a couple of small towns, along with east Wichita, contact her about opening another MOXI bakery and coffee shop.
She said she struggled with what to do.
“MOXI’s a passion project, and it’s hard to duplicate a passion project.”
MOXI stands for Moms of Exceptional Individuals, and Kilgore opened the business in 2014 to give her autistic son someplace to work along with the special-needs children of her friends.
Kilgore now lives near Kechi.
“It’s an artsy little town, and it’s darling.”
Her neighbor, NAI Martens senior vice president and managing partner Jeff Englert, convinced her the town would be ideal for a second MOXI.
“I’m excited about this second place,” Kilgore said.
That’s even though she never wanted the first business.
“I swear to you, God put this in my head. I had no desire to run a place. None.”
She said she learned a lot about opening the first, so having a second chance to use that knowledge makes sense.
“At the beginning, I was just overwhelmed and wondering what I’d done,” Kilgore said. “I wanted to do everything right.”
So Kilgore went to barista school and visited other coffee shops.
“You still don’t know what you’re getting into,” she said.
Fast forward, and Kilgore said she loves it.
“I love being there with the kids. They run it themselves anymore.”
Still, she said she wasn’t necessarily wanting another MOXI, but, Kilgore said, “I just think it’s needed.”
The new space will have a larger bakery than the first, which Kilgore said excites her.
It likely will be a year before the second MOXI opens.
Kilgore said it will be in a corner of an outdoor area that opens onto a park.
Look for more information on the venture as it goes along.