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La Prima Tazza is celebrating its 35th anniversary on Wednesday. The brainchild of Bart and Suzanne Smith opened in 1990.
La Prima Tazza is not just a coffee shop — it also functions as a place to gather, almost like a town square. Its longevity is remarkable, most recently outliving the Starbucks across the street that closed.
The Liberty Hall building has a rich history dating back to 1912. However, for the purposes of this story, the contemporary history begins in 1986, when David and Susan Millstein, along with Charley and Tensie Oldfather, purchased Liberty Hall and the adjacent buildings that would become Free State Brewery in 1989 and La Prima Tazza in 1990.
I remember when La Prima Tazza opened; it was a big deal. The Smiths were new to town, boldly creating a new concept for Lawrence by renovating, designing and creating a classic European coffee house.
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The coffee shop had a vintage, classy and comfortable vibe. The coffee drinks were a traditional fare, and the coffee was top tier. They knew their product well and presented it in a professional and friendly manner.
Screening celebration
La Prima Tazza and Liberty Hall are marking the coffee shop’s 35th anniversary with a showing of the 2003 film “Coffee and Cigarettes.”
The movie starts at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, and tickets are $5.
Bart recalls visiting Lawrence; he and Suzanne really liked our downtown. At the time they had a successful coffee shop in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. They were young, bold and thought, “Why not start a coffee shop in Lawrence?”
“We’ve always been infatuated with old buildings,” Bart said. “We were at Free State Brewery having a beer; afterwards, we started walking up and down Massachusetts Street looking for a building to lease and it was right under our nose.”
The building, 638 Massachusetts St., was shuttered. David was using it for storage.
Bart spoke of David fondly.
“David embraced small businesses; businesses that would serve the community,” Bart said. “He wanted a 10-year commitment; in exchange, rent would be reasonable. We helped with the property taxes. It was a win-win.”
The Smiths began manifesting their vision, purchasing old counters and display cases at auctions and securing vintage marble bistro tables from a restaurant supply company in Kansas City. They cleaned up the ornamental tin ceiling and added pendant lights.
Next, they needed a name. Bart remembers driving back to Lawrence from Colorado after a shopping trip for the coffee shop; he dropped a coffee cup, and it didn’t break. It was an “aha” moment: He thought perhaps the name should have something to do with a cup; something that would roll off the tongue.
“‘Prima’ in Italian means ‘first,’ and ‘tazza,’ ‘cup.’ We took a little heat with the name; it was different,” Bart said.
The staff was small. They hired graduate students, and each employee had extensive training.
The Smiths were “hands-on” small business owners.
“We prided ourselves with knowing people,” Suzanne said. “We knew people by their first name and what they liked.”
Suzanne fondly recalled the regulars — now called the “Slackers” — who met every morning at 7.
“They were from all walks of life and points of view, always good discussions. It could have been a sitcom,” Suzanne said.
The Smiths created a space for our community, sourcing the coffee from farmers they had relationships with. Daily, they built a quality business while unknowingly laying the groundwork for the Millsteins to carry on their business.
The Smiths decided to sell the business to the Millsteins in 1999. Bart reflected on that pivotal moment.
“We were just tired; seven days a week,” he said. “To have a successful small business, you must be there. It took a lot out of us. We ran out of gas.”
The Smiths went on to open another coffee shop in Belgrade, Montana, in 2001. They operated it for 10 years, sold it and moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, then returned to the states in 2021. The Smiths are now retired, and they reside in Bozeman, Montana.
Susan Millstein admits she did not have much to do with the actual running of the coffee shop when she and her husband, David, took over the stewardship of La Prima Tazza in 1999: “I kept the books, paid the bills.” David, who died in 2020, was frequently at Liberty Hall and had an eye on the coffee shop.
The Millsteins hired a manager. Sarah Richardson was the longest-serving manager, for 17 years.
Millstein described the integral role La Prima Tazza served.
“La Prima Tazza was the little tugboat that hauls this ship (Liberty Hall) along,” she said. “Without La Prima Tazza, there would be no Liberty Hall.”
Millstein adds, “There were always ups and downs with Liberty Hall. A concert would come through and there would be an influx of income and then nothing. La Prima Tazza and the rent from the brewery have always been the steady income to help keep Liberty Hall afloat.”
Millstein appreciates Paige Stegman, who is coming up on her 10-year anniversary on Dec. 4.
“She’s wonderful; she handles everything. She’s very solid,” Millstein said.
Stegman and Holly Johnston are the veteran baristas. Johnston has been at La Prima Tazza for more than 10 years.
Stegman, who was managing the Walgreens at 23rd and Louisiana prior to La Prima Tazza, recalls the meeting when she was offered the management position after only working at the coffee shop for three months.
David’s offer also included a proviso: “Liberty Hall does not exist without La Prima Tazza,” he’d said, using the tugboat metaphor. “Can you handle that responsibility? If you fail, Liberty Hall could fail. We rely on this place to keep us afloat. Can you do it?”
Stegman said she replied, “I think I can.”
And we know she has successfully fulfilled her commitment to keep La Prima Tazza, the little tugboat, in operation to help Liberty Hall moving forward in the turbulent waters of Massachusetts Street.
“I have been such a big fan of Liberty Hall as a customer,” Stegman said. “I deeply care about it. We must support this; we have to go to movies. I was here for coffee all the time; this place must stay alive.”
Stegman has continued a similar business model to what the Smiths started. She said there’s a sense of family there, and employees are there because they love the place.
“I do really want people to feel at home, a place to hang out a bit. It is very much community-based,” Stegman said.
Stegman said a lot of people don’t know the coffee shop is part of Liberty Hall.
“By supporting one, you are supporting the other,” Stegman said.
It can be difficult, though. The location on Massachusetts Street is convenient, yet there is another side to the coin. Open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., the first stop off the river and next door to a brewery, “We are going to deal with some situations,” Stegman said.
“We are all social workers and baristas,” Stegman said. “Being downtown, you get to know all the characters; it’s like a hub. I want it to be a place people can study. I want people to feel safe.”
Chuck Epp, a regular, said he’s always thought of La Prima Tazza as the classic local coffee shop in Lawrence and a hub of social activity.
“I can come down and work but then have a brief chat with people who I know from all kinds of walks of life,” he said. “There are professionals who come here for a break: blue collar workers, retirees, students; a number of (KU) faculty like myself come down here. It’s a fun mix of people.”
Our community is truly indebted to Suzanne and Bart Smith for opening La Prima Tazza, to the past and present managers, and to the countless baristas for their steady stewardship, serving us for 35 years.
Due to the recent change in leadership at Liberty Hall with Josh Millstein at the helm and the stellar programming by Kalie McAlexander and her team, there has been a clear boost at Liberty Hall in attendance for movies and other programming.
These factors, coupled with Stegman’s leadership and our ongoing community support, will hopefully keep both businesses on solid footing to continue being integral gathering places for our community.
La Prima Tazza and Liberty Hall are marking the coffee shop’s 35th anniversary on Monday, Dec. 1, with a showing of “Coffee and Cigarettes,” the 2003 film by Jim Jarmusch starring Bill Murry, Cate Blanchett, Steve Buscemi, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. The movie starts at 7 p.m., and tickets are $5.
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About the writer
Tom Harper is a Realtor at Stephens Real Estate helping people in Lawrence and Douglas County buy and sell real estate. He is the founder of Lawrence Modern, a group whose mission is to raise awareness of midcentury and modern architecture. You will find him posting frequently on Instagram under @lawrencemodern, sharing his daily observations of his favorite place on earth: Lawrence, Kansas. Read more of Tom’s writing for The Lawrence Times here.
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Tom Harper: La Prima Tazza celebrating 35 years serving Lawrence (Column)
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