A coffee shop themed around aviation history is preparing to open its first Johnson County location at 8025 Santa Fe Drive in downtown Overland Park, taking over a storefront that spent roughly two decades as an antique shop. Flight Crew Coffee plans to open by November 1, with a possible soft opening in late October, and will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The space previously housed Unique Finds, an antique retail shop run by owner Bob Southard for about 20 years before he closed it earlier in 2026, according to the Johnson County Post. Renovations at the site included tearing out the original antique shop's checkout counter to make room for a new wall enclosing a small kitchen, per the same report.
Flight Crew Coffee is owned by Heather Hnizdil, who launched the concept five years ago in downtown Manhattan, Kansas, at 423 Poyntz Avenue. Before opening that first storefront in October 2021, Hnizdil taught English in Taiwan and Sicily and wanted to pursue airline design, according to VoyageKC. The Overland Park expansion has reportedly been in the works for about a year, the Johnson County Post notes.
A Home Away From Home Near Thompson Park
The new location sits near Thompson Park and Hummus and Pita, and will include an outdoor patio facing the park, comfortable seating, and work-friendly tables and chairs, per the Johnson County Post's reporting. Hnizdil said she wants the coffee shop to feel like a home away from home, and described coffee as a vehicle for connecting people, the outlet reports. The shop will also feature a large airplane mural inside.
That aviation branding lines up neatly with what's already next door. Thompson Park covers 3.8 acres and includes a stage with a paper airplane-shaped awning honoring the city's aviation history, according to RDG Planning & Design, which also notes the park retains a historic carriage house built by William Strang.
Roots in the City's Early Aviation History
Overland Park's aviation ties date back to when city founder William B. Strang Jr. brought an airfield to the area that included a pavilion for learning, observation and community activities. The city considered naming its new downtown farmers market space Clock Tower Landing, according to the Johnson County Post.
The menu will lean into that theme with flight-themed drinks, including the seasonal Emily Warner pumpkin latte, named for a historic female pilot, and the Bee Haydu chai with spiced apple and caramel, named after a World War II pilot. Emily Howell Warner became the first female pilot hired permanently by a scheduled U.S. airline in 1973 with Frontier Airlines and the first woman to reach the rank of U.S. commercial airline captain in 1976, accumulating more than 21,000 flying hours over a 42-year career before her death in 2020, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Bernice “Bee” Falk Haydu was a Women Airforce Service Pilot test pilot during World War II, and WASPs were officially recognized as veterans during Haydu's 1975-1978 tenure as president of the Order of Fifinella. Haydu also served as president of the WASP alumnae organization Order of Fifinella and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009, per The National WWII Museum.
Local Suppliers and Possible Museum Ties
Beyond the flight-themed lattes, the shop will serve matcha lattes, flavored sodas, and homemade cinnamon streusel coffee cake, made with beans roasted by Post Coffee Company. Post Coffee, based in Missouri, roasts the beans. Hnizdil also plans to partner with Morning Rounds Bakery in Kansas City, Missouri.
Hnizdil is also exploring a partnership with the Trans World Airlines Museum, which could bring aviation history talks or events to the coffee shop.
Hnizdil's creative streak extends beyond the coffee shop's interior design. She previously painted a downtown Manhattan mural titled “Harry Wareham: Past, Present, & Future” in May 2022.
Flight Crew Coffee's motto, “Coffee in Good Company,” fits the shop's stated goal of offering a place for customers to drink coffee, work, and socialize. The Overland Park location will be the brand's first in Johnson County, joining a downtown retail corridor along Santa Fe Drive.
