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Through the glass windows overlooking East Genesee Street, Kelsey Ball invites customers both new and old into her newly-rebranded coffee shop for a journey into coffee culture and community connections.

Ball is the owner of Kelsey’s Coffee and Friends, formerly known as Peaks Coffee Company. She reintroduced the Syracuse community to the shop in January.

“I really fell in love with the community aspect of coffee,” Ball said. “Getting to be a tiny part of somebody’s day everyday felt really special to me.”

The rebrand is a shift from a traditional come-and-go coffee shop to a “third space,” not just for coffee lovers, but for strangers and friends to come together, interact and build community, Lottie Caiella, an illustration graduate student at Syracuse University, said.

The process didn’t happen overnight. After separating from her business and romantic partner, Ball sought to change the identity of the brand. While her former partner is still roasting coffee under the Peaks name, Ball is maintaining ownership of the cafe shop and has rebranded it as her own.

“Now, it has turned into a new beginning for me, which has been really beautiful and special,” Ball said.

Ball first opened the coffee shop 10 years ago after graduating from high school. She used to struggle with panic attacks and found that coffee shops became a form of exposure therapy for her while working through her agoraphobia.

“You can approach a coffee shop with any intention,” Ball said. “You can go in to just simply get a cup of coffee or you can go in and choose to engage with a stranger or barista. It was, at one point in my life, a very safe space for me.”

Ball said attention to community is of utmost importance to the coffee shop’s staff. Over the years, the staff at Kelsey’s has watched regular patrons go on to have children and then bring them in for a visit.

Ball pours her energy into creating a space that serves more than coffee — she aims to provide a welcoming experience for customers, too. Her staff contribute to the friendly atmosphere. Training goes beyond how to make a breakfast burrito, as genuine customer service is essential for Kelsey’s employees, barista Tayah Payne said.

“I think the piece for me that is most important in Kelsey’s, I always just loved people,” Ball said. “A lot of places have good coffee, but not a lot of places have great customer service. People like the coffee, but love the space and love us.”

Payne used to be a regular at Peaks. Ball and Payne met when Payne was a cashier at another eatery in Syracuse, and Payne told Ball that she wanted to work for her one day. Now, working at Kelsey’s is like a home away from home for Payne. She even calls Ball the “mayor” in town because she’s friends with everyone.

The baristas make sure to pay close attention to each step of the process when handcrafting customers’ orders.

“It’s intimate in a way, to share food with somebody, to make food for somebody,” Payne said. “There’s a reason that people are emotionally connected to their grandmother’s cooking. It’s just such an ancient thing for people to share.”

Customer loyalty also contributes to the business’s success. Amy Zubieta, a local yoga instructor, teacher, actor and singer, has been coming to the shop for several years. Since the first time she stopped by, it’s been her coffee shop of choice whenever she needs a caffeine fix or a place to get some work done.

“Kelsey is here all of the time. It is her business, but as a team, she really instills that kind of homey atmosphere,” Zubieta said. “So when I heard that it was going to be rebranded with her name, it just seems so perfect.”

The rebrand isn’t just about coffee; it’s about the customer experience. Ball credits her team of designers for their hand in the redesign process, including Caiella. Sketches of Kelsey now decorate the cups that go to customers’ hands.

Caiella first met Ball 10 years ago when the two were baristas at a Fayetteville Starbucks. She also made the first brand design for Peaks, which was infused with cool tones and nature scenes.

Caiella credits Hannah Petrera, the interior designer for Kelsey’s, for the shift from cool, dark green colors to warmer shades in the shop’s interior. The decor change helped create a comfortable environment that feels like lounging in someone’s living room, Caiella said. Ball didn’t want to change things up too much to the point where customers didn’t resonate with it, she said.

“We took the opportunity to build something that we felt reflected (Kelsey’s) personal evolution and who she is now, which is someone who is not going to hide behind anything and be a proud woman-owning business person,” Caiella said.

Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

Kelsey Ball, owner of Kelsey’s Coffee and Friends, opened what was then Peaks Coffee Company 10 years ago after graduating high school. She wants to provide a welcoming place for people to interact with each other and relax.

Kelsey’s Instagram bio now states it’s “proudly woman-owned.”

“I often come with my daughter, and whether she picks up on it or not, it’s such a great example of ‘Hey, if you want to do this, you can,’ and they are all so cool,” Zubieta said.

To add more flair to the rebrand, Ball has also incorporated new merchandise for customers to explore. Shelves of items ranging from coffee bean blends to handiwork from local artists line the shelves leading to the register.

Ultimately, the atmosphere the staff has cultivated is what makes people return to the shop. After just their second visit, the staff considers returning customers as regulars.

“If you want coffee just for convenience, you’re going to go to a gas station, you’re going to go to Dunkin’ Donuts. But if you want good coffee, to have a conversation, you come here,” Payne said.

Published on February 12, 2025 at 3:48 pm