Sister Anne's Records & Coffee

Sister Anne’s Records & Coffee is an independent vinyl record store and coffee shop in Midtown Kansas City, opened in 2018 by Frank Alvarez and Jim Oshel — two longtime KC record men who both worked at the legendary Westport store Recycled Sounds. The shop is named for Anne Winter, the late Recycled Sounds co-owner whom Alvarez called “the godmother of the KC underground music scene,” and is widely regarded as that store’s spiritual successor.¹²

Description

Sister Anne’s Records & Coffee is a combined vinyl shop and café in Midtown KCMO, sharing a 31st Street building space first offered to the owners by Mark Galloway of Windhorse Tattoo.¹ The store carries a broad, hand-curated catalog spanning hip-hop, punk rock, classic rock, funk, soul, Latin, jazz, and country, alongside an espresso bar and pastries.¹² A spacious back room functions as an all-ages performance venue, extending the shop beyond retail into a community music space.² Co-owner Frank Alvarez has framed the mission directly in Anne Winter’s terms: “I want to do what Anne taught us to do… help people find the music they’re looking for, provide a space in Kansas City where they can find out about music.”¹

Ownership and history

The shop is co-owned by Frank Alvarez and Jim Oshel, who met working at Recycled Sounds, the influential Westport record store that operated at Westport Road and Main Street from 1988 to 2006.¹ Recycled Sounds was co-owned by Anne Winter (with Kurt Von Schlemmer); Winter bought out Alvarez’s competing shop, Abba Zappa, and Alvarez has worked in record retail since 1985.¹ Oshel began volunteering at Recycled Sounds at age 15 before working there.¹ After Recycled Sounds closed, Alvarez worked at Vinyl Renaissance and Oshel at the Broadway Cafe; the two reconnected when Galloway offered them space in his 31st Street building, and they opened Sister Anne’s in 2018.¹ The store’s name honors Winter, who died in 2009; Alvarez called her “the godmother of the KC underground music scene.”¹ Local coffee roaster Broadway Roasting Co. produces a dedicated “Sister Anne’s Blend,” reflecting the shop’s embedded place in the KC indie-business network.³

Links

• Official site: https://sisterannes.com/
• The Pitch (origin/legacy feature): https://www.thepitchkc.com/sister-annes-records-and-coffee-carries-on-the-legacy-of-its-namesake-former-recycled-sounds-owner-anne-winter/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sister-annes-records-and-coffee-kansas-city

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. https://www.thepitchkc.com/sister-annes-records-and-coffee-carries-on-the-legacy-of-its-namesake-former-recycled-sounds-owner-anne-winter/ — asserts: owners Frank Alvarez & Jim Oshel; opened 2018; both worked at Recycled Sounds (Westport Rd & Main, 1988–2006); Anne Winter co-owner, died 2009, “godmother of the KC underground music scene”; Alvarez in record retail since 1985; address 901 E. 31st St.; vinyl genre scope + mission quote; Galloway/Windhorse 31st St building. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. https://sisterannes.com/ — asserts: business name “Sister Anne’s Records and Coffee”; full address 901 East 31st Street, Kansas City, MO 64109; sells records and coffee; active site with Facebook/Instagram. ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. https://www.broadwayroasting.com/product-page/sister-anne-s-blend-records-coffee — asserts: Broadway Roasting Co. produces a “Sister Anne’s Blend” coffee for the shop. ↩