March 29, 2024

Kid Dream Coffee Charms Dane Street

Kate Walker '22

Beverly’s beloved downtown has another contender for favorite coffee shop! Kid Dream Coffee, founded by husband and wife duo Kalvin and Abi, officially opened doors to their first location in Beverly on October 16th, 2021. Since then, the L.A. inspired shop has drawn the attention of everyone lucky enough to get a parking spot off of Cabot Street. 

Owning his own coffee shop has been a long-time dream of Kalvin, who worked for several years at Little Wolf Coffee and Atomic Coffee Roasters, two household names on the North Shore. “My wife and I have worked in coffee for over a decade easily, and for Kid Dream, we started four years ago now as a mobile business, doing pop ups at breweries, hotels, apartment complexes, things like that.” 

The decision to open a physical location has required tedious planning, particularly due to the unpredictable Covid-19 pandemic, which put their plans on hold for a year and a half. Even so, the couple continued to look for a space in Beverly. Kalvin said, “This place came on the market and then it was basically immediate—we saw it and by the next day, told them we wanted it because we really liked it. We wanted a kind of neighborhood vibe, so we didn’t need a really big space to do what we wanted here, and this space is perfect for that.” 

And according to their overwhelmingly positive reviews, Kid Dream shop provides just that atmosphere. The light brown wood and tall street-facing windows accentuate the natural sunlight and impressive plant arrangements decorating the walls. Kalvin explained the inspiration for the design. “My wife’s and my biggest inspiration for coffee stuff is L.A.’s coffee scene, because that’s the scene we kind of know the best—style of drinks, color palette, the vibe of the shop—so I think that is pretty noticeable. And honestly, one of our biggest compliments is that people have come in and said that this feels like they’re in California.” 

Beyond the memorable atmosphere, Kid Dream stands out for its intentionality. “The way we’ve always looked at it and the way we’ve always hoped it comes across is that we think our coffee’s really good—sure—but we never like to talk about it. We really just want to be great, customer service-wise. We know what we’re doing coffee-wise, and people will notice that the coffee tastes really good, but our main goal is that we don’t want to be pretentious about it. We can get nerdy all day, but we won’t try and indoctrinate people on things. We just want you to come in, have a good time, and that’s genuinely my goal.” 

Although he admits that other coffee shops are technically competition, Kalvin notes that all of their focuses are slightly different, and there’s room for everyone. “But I do think that one thing you’ll see here is more experimental drinks. We’re really trying to change our menu almost monthly as far as syrups we make in-house. And in the summer, we will have fizzy and carbonated drinks that not a lot of people are doing…that’s kind of like a hint to what we are.” The espresso float, Kalvin’s favorite drink, is made with espresso, brown sugar, simple syrup, sparkling water, seltzer, and house-made whipped cream on top with extra vanilla to imitate the flavor of ice cream. Kid Dream also offers house-made macadamia milk and seasonal syrups, a perfect addition to any item on the menu.  

Business has continued to grow since Kid Dream’s opening day in October. In the short-term, Kalvin hopes to focus more on the mobile coffee business this spring—their coffee shop on wheels. Further out, the couple hopes to start roasting within the next two years and open more storefronts along the North Shore and in the surrounding area. 

Kalvin left us with this note. “We care a lot about Beverly, and we really want to be a place where anyone can come, feel welcomed, feel accepted, but genuinely feel that. We really try not to push any agenda besides, you know, being nice.” That message certainly comes across. Pay them a visit on West Dane Street and see for yourself! 

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