Getting through a long day of tests and academic work can be a difficult task without a morning jolt of freshly brewed coffee. Located about 6 miles from the NASH campus lives Kat’s Coffee House, a family owned coffee shop in the Treesdale area. Since the grand opening in late April of 2023, the business has skyrocketed in popularity.
Owners Kathy and Todd Williams are not new to the art entrepreneurship, and Kat’s Coffeehouse is the most recent business in their chain of enterprises. One of their most successful ventures is their retail clothing boutiques, Kat and Willie.
Kathy herself gained experience for running a business through her beginnings in retail at the age of 15. Before opening the chain of Kat and Willie clothing boutiques, Kathy spent 14 years designing kitchen textiles. Her husband Todd offered over three million aprons and towels designed by Kathy to retail outlets like HomeGoods, T J Maxx, and Marshalls, making for a strong work ethic and a strong understanding of how to run a successful business.
“I think you have to treat your customers, suppliers, and employees as equals knowing that sales time is valuable,” Williams said. “Success comes from treating people right, having a passion, and knowing the numbers.”
The service is fast and personable, and each member of the staff at Kat’s works together to create a good experience for customers who come to visit this neighborhood coffee shop. Each employee is displayed on a wall by the coffee counter with their own cat personality photo and name, a fun touch for customers to view while they wait for their orders.
“We hire people who are excited to work and know how to communicate,” said Williams. “We want our staff to be nice people who care and that comes with running a business where we can laugh, have fun, and work hard.”
The couple decided to branch out of their comfort zone to begin their new business venture when they discovered a neighborhood espresso store on the market and jumped at the opportunity to buy.
“After opening Kat and Willie boutiques, people would come in asking when the coffee shop next door would be opening,” said Williams. “We knew there was a demand, but we didn’t know the first thing about owning a coffee shop.”
Because his family lived in the area and was aware of the known demand in his community, Williams became invested in researching the coffee business and found a group of partners to help the idea become a reality.
The coffee shop is brewed freshly in-house and roasted by Crimson Cup with specialty hot and cold drinks through the seasons. The company also sells delicious breakfast items like Belgian waffles, breakfast sandwiches, scones, and muffins; lunch features like hoagies and wraps, bagels, cake pops, cookies, and official Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream served by the scoop.
“The first thing I did was make sure the coffee was amazing for our customers,” Williams said. “Our coffee is award winning and delicious.”
The cafe itself is comfortable and cozy, all while including an abundance of seating for customers to choose from like couches and lounge chairs to relax in, and tables and bench seating for those who choose to study for their next business meeting or academic test, each accommodating for what the customer chooses to do during their visit.
The shop is open seven days a week at 617 Warrendale Road, Suite E, in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday from 6:45-5:00, Saturday from 7:45-5:00, and Sunday from 8:45-3:00.
