Meet Kevin Kim | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Kim and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My family had a Sbarro Pizzeria for seven years inside the galleria. It was then that I served people from all walks of life and I cherished the connections made with people that I would have never crossed paths with otherwise.

Due to the galleria needing to overhaul the wing where the store was located, we were forced to close our doors. As much as it was heartbreaking just as it was a relief, a void had been created. I missed having regulars, I missed the community, I missed the longtime employees we had.

When I fell in love with coffee, I decided that I wanted to start my own coffee shop. I took a job making minimum wage at the age of 37 at a coffee shop so that I could learn the craft from front to back. After working there for a year and a half, I opened up Constellation Coffee in La Canada on February 10th, 2017.

I wanted to provide a place where people could connect, forge their futures, and chase their dreams. That was the vision of Constellation Coffee where people could connect and form their own constellations and write their own futures. The name and the logo are very special to me as I wanted to pay homage to the neighborhood of La Canada where light pollution is minimal and stars are clearly visible at night. Furthermore, JPL is only a few blocks away from the shop and we are literally fueling engineers who are sending rockets and capsules into space. The logo (in the shape of a C) is of a plume and a star at the bottom, representing the idea of something being written in the stars.

We opened in Silver Lake on October 2nd in 2020, right in the middle of all the craziness that was COVID. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the support from both communities and I still enjoy all the connections that are made on a daily basis.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am the owner of Constellation Coffee. We opened the La Canada location in February 2017 and the Silver Lake location in October 2020. Things were definitely not easy during the early days of both locations, but mainly due to positive reviews and word of mouth, both stores have gained a solid, loyal following and we could not be more grateful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a big sports and music guy so we would definitely watch a game at Crypto.com Arena, an LAFC match, or a Rams or Chargers game. Definitely would try to catch a show at the Greek Theatre, the Orpheum or the Forum.

For food, would go to any number of restaurants but Bavel, Wurstkuche and Factory Kitchen are some of my favorites. We definitely would have to go to a taco truck like El Flamin’ or Taco Zone and Korean food at Hangari and Hamji Park for some spareribs. Definitely have to get to Malibu or Venice Beach. Drinks at ETA, possibly on a jazz night. Go across the street for whatever is going on at Highland Park Bowl, sometimes it’s karaoke, sometimes it’s a drag queen night. Ice cream at Salt and Straw, before or after going to Wurstkuche. La Cha Cha Cha is great also.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give the biggest shout out to my mother. She was my fiercest supporter and helped me become the person that I am in every possible way. She lived so selflessly and devoted her life to me and my family. Words cannot express how much she meant to me and it hurts everyday that she is no longer around. I would do anything to see her again and for her to meet my daughter. She passed away after fighting cancer in early 2022, four months before the birth of my daughter.

Website: constellationcoffeela.com

Instagram: constellationcoffeela

Facebook: constellationcoffeela

Yelp: have two locations