Expanding a KC Tradition

Each morning the scent of fresh cinnamon rolls, Danishes, warm breads, and freshly roasted coffee permeates the air around McLain’s Market in Shawnee.

They opened last June during the pandemic.

“COVID has been absolutely brutal to the restaurant industry. We felt lucky that our new location had a drive-through. We opened it from day one,” says Mollie Lothman, co-owner of McLain’s Market.

The owners—Greg and Kathy Hirleman, their son Jeff Hirleman and daughter Mollie Lothman—decided to proceed amid the pandemic with the opening of their latest McLain’s Market in the former OK Garage.

Residents familiar with the former garage will recognize the metal walls that have been refurbished. When Jeff Hirleman began the remodel of the building, he worked to keep some of the original design in place.

“We kept the original metal walls that were in the garage. They were bright green, blues, and one yellow wall all constructed from metal. We cleaned them up and have made plans for an artist to come and do a magnet mural for us,” Mollie says.

Opening a new business during a pandemic left the family feeling unsure how business would be.

“Opening three months into COVID, we had pretty low expectations on sales. We were pleasantly surprised by our sales as we watched people come to our new location,” Mollie says. Despite the pandemic, the community has welcomed them into their neighborhood.

“We have been floored at how awesome the community has been and continues to be in supporting us,” she says.

Customers can order bakery or lunch items at the drive-through or by placing an order online and using the store’s contactless pick up.

“We are definitely looking forward to the day when the store can be full and everyone can experience the true McLain’s experience,” she says.

Customers can select fresh breakfast sandwiches, and an extensive lunch menu offers sandwiches, salads, and soups. Patrons can soothe their sweet tooth with cinnamon rolls, Danishes, cakes, cookies, or other desserts.

Customer Julie Krause says, “Their cakes have been a part of all of my children’s weddings—they are delish!” She was attracted to the business due to their long-standing history in the Kansas City metro.

“Butter rolls, Danishes, cookies, lunch items, you name it, everything is so good. Sip on your favorite drink, eat an indulgent pastry, sit on the patio and engage in conversation with your family and friends,” Julie says.

McLain’s Market offers a number of classic dishes. For breakfast, customers can enjoy the pepperjack burrito with sausage, egg, potatoes, and a serrano sauce; McLain’s Market bowl, a mixture of meat, eggs, vegetables, avocado, and cheese; or the Plain and Simple item with eggs, bacon, and cheese on an English muffin.

“Everything is baked and made in-house,” Mollie says.

First-time visitors to McLain’s are treated to a free cookie. “It is our signature cookie that is a mini pecan sandie, with our own dollop of chocolate icing on top. It is the perfect mixture of salty and sweet,” she says.

Customer Kathleen Whalen is drawn to the bakery items.

“We always order a coffee and pick up a bag of granola each time we visit. My husband loves their cookies. It sparks joy in his heart just knowing a box is sitting in our pantry,” Kathleen says.

Staff members encourage first-time visitors to try the homemade cinnamon roll or cheese Danish. And the recommendations do not stop there; the staff also recommends the freshly brewed coffee.

Jeff’s focus is on the coffee side of the business. They opened their coffee roasting company, Sway Coffee Roasters, and moved production from Kansas City, Missouri, to the Shawnee store.

“We really try to do about 95 percent of everything in-house. We used to purchase our coffee from other roasters. They were all great, but as we continued to grow, it began to make sense to bring it in-house,” Mollie says.

As Jeff learned the coffee business, he built relationships with coffee growers in other countries. The coffee beans roasted at the Shawnee store are used in other McLain’s stores, and they sell bags of their coffee to customers.

McLain’s Market is where Jennifer Young stops for her cup of coffee.

“I love that they locally roast their own coffee beans,” she says.

Besides coffee, she has ordered breakfast and lunch sandwiches. “I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. They have great food,” she says.

Operating a business together has helped siblings Mollie and Jeff realize dreams they had back in college. She wanted to run a bakery; he wanted to operate a coffee shop.

“About two years after our discussion, my dad received an email about a bakery in the Waldo area for sale. The bakery had been in business for 75 years. My dad passed that information along to us. Within six weeks, we had bought the business and were running it,” Mollie laughs.

They purchased the bakery in March 2014. They opened their second location in 2016 and expanded their made-to-order food. Their other locations are in Waldo, Overland Park, and Lawrence.

“As we expanded our made-to-order food, it received a huge following. We began pushing our coffee line at the same time. As a company, we want to provide a fun atmosphere, a place at McLain’s to come and meet with family and friends and enjoy a great experience,” Mollie says.

5833 Nieman Road

913-215-9288

MclainsKC.com/shawnee

Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays